


For Better or Worse

by Cloakseeker



Category: Divergent (Movies), Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-17 13:13:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4667840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloakseeker/pseuds/Cloakseeker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Disclaimer: I do not own the Divergent Series. This is a modern day AU story. Tris comes back home from studying in New York and despite asking her parents repeatedly to not throw a party she gets a party. But the party turns out to be better than expected, especially since a certain someone is there too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello, it's me. Again. Here is a new AU modern day FourTris fanfic for you brave boys and girls. I hope you like it. It's short, but maybe if you guys like it I could extend it. Let me know. Happy reading!
> 
> P.S. There's also going to be a board on Pinterest called For Better or Worse. https://www.pinterest.com/ChristiWind/for-better-or-worse-divergent-trilogy-fan-fiction/

1

Tris' POV

I'm so happy. I'm finally back home. Don't get me wrong. I loved New York, but there's no place like home. Mom and dad are here, Caleb comes to visit from Boston, so he is almost here, my best friend Christina is here, who I haven't seen since we graduated high school, my aunt and uncle, as well as my three cousins, Shauna, Lynn and Hector, are here. Everyone I love is in Chicago.

I get off the plane and expect only to see my parents but to my immense surprise everyone came. The moment my little cousin Hector, he is twelve, sees me he runs over to me and hugs me tightly. Even though he is ten years younger than I am he is almost as tall as me. But then again I was never tall to begin with.

"Bee, your back home" he says excited.

"Hey there, Hec. Oh my God, it's so good to see you guys" I say looking around.

"Hello, Bumblebee" my dad says and pulls me into a bear hug.

"Hi, dad. Not so tight, I'm wearing precious cargo" I say and he pulls back with a frown.

"What?" he almost yells.

"Honey, calm down, I'm sure she meant something different than you think" my mom says and comes over to hug me.

"Hi, mom" I say and kiss her cheek before embracing her. "Something different?" I ask confused.

"My turn" Christina says and hugs me. When she let's go she smirks.

"What?" I ask.

"You're not caring something in the oven, do you?" she asks wiggling her eyebrows. OH MY GOD!

"NO!" I say forcefully. "Of course not. Is that what you thought?" I ask my dad and feel a deep blush creep into my cheeks.

"Uhm" my dad says stuttering.

"Oh my God, dad. Really? I don't even have a boyfriend" I say exasperated.

"Then we need to fix that" Shauna says and comes over with Lynn and both hug me tightly.

"Good to see you guys. I've missed you all terribly" I say.

"Good to have you back, Bee" Lynn says.

"I want to hug my beautiful niece too" my uncle Joe says. "Hello little Bumblebee" he says and hugs me tightly to his chest. It's because of him everyone in my family calls me either Bee or Bumblebee. My parents sometimes call me by my given name, which is Beatrice, but it's usually when they scold me or want to make a point by apparently having a grown-up conversation with me, which of course requires to use sometimes even my full name, Beatrice Elisabeth Prior. God, I hate it when they do that. I always feel like a six year old. My friends and sometimes my cousins call me Tris, it's short and sounds way cooler than Beatrice. Mom, dad, what were you thinking? I think I have the most boring name in the Unites States of everywhere on Planet Earth. Caleb always teased me about it, mainly because it annoyed me, telling me that if I ever wanted to be cool I needed to marry a guy with a cool name. When I asked what that name should be he said not a boring Christian name like Caleb or Joseph or Andrew or Ezekiel.

After I hug my aunt Eleonore, which everyone just calls Ellie, we all head outside to the cars. I get in my parents car with Christina while the rest of my family follows us in Uncle Joe's car.

As expected my parents did the one thing I absolutely didn't want and repeatedly asked them not to do – throw a party. I pretended not to see the multitude of strange cars parked nearby our house. I pretended not to have seen Caleb in the living room window checking the street. I pretended not to hear loud music from our backyard and I definitely pretended not to smell the barbecue grill. Just as we all got out of the car I decided to play a trick on them.

"Mom, dad" I say and they both look at me. I put my "I'm sick, I think I'm gonna puke any minute" face on, put my right hand to my mouth and rush into the house. I run up the stairs into the bathroom I used to share with my brother and lock the door. From there I can look down into the backyard and inspect the damage. Oh, for crying out loud. Did they seriously invite the whole neighborhood? And even people I've never seen. I turn on the faucet and as on cue I hear a knock on the bathroom door.

"Beatrice, are you alright?" I hear my mom's concerned voice. I feel bad for making her worry like that.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I have a stomach bug or something" I say and try to hide behind the curtain so that no one can see me.

"Do you think it's possible for you to come downstairs for a minute?" she asks. Wow, she's insistent.

"I don't know" I say sounding weak and on the verge of puking again.

"We'll wait for you until you're ready" she says and her concern almost vanished. "Oh, and just that you know, that trick might work on your dad, but not on me" she says. Uh oh, busted. I turn off the faucet and walk to the door. I unlock and open it to find mom with her arms crossed in front of her chest giving me a knowing look.

"Oh, mom, come on. Don't get mad, I told you guys I don't want a party. I just came home from school, not war" I say whining.

"Beatrice Elisabeth Prior" mom says in a calm voice. "These people are here to congratulate you. You did a great job and everyone is happy to have you back."

"Even Mrs. Norris from down the street, with the billion cats that always scolded me for wearing clothes she deemed inappropriate?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Even she is happy to see you again" my mom says chuckling.

"I'm sure. She probably couldn't find a new victim" I say under my breath, but mom heard me.

"Be nice, Bumblebee."

"I am, if she is" I say. We both walk downstairs and I can hear my dad tell the people gathered here that he is sorry for keeping them waiting but his daughter seems to have felt ill. I hear some of them express their worry and dad tries to calm them down.

"She's better now" mom says loudly and everyone's eyes land on us. Great, now everyone stares at me. "Right, Bee?" she asks, giving me a knowing look.

"Yeah, sure" I say awkwardly.

"That's fantastic" my dad says and hugs me again.

"Dad, I can't breathe" I say and everyone laughs.

"I'm sorry, Bumblebee. I'm just so happy my little baby is back home" he says way too loud for my liking.

"Dad!" I scold.

"What? You are and always will be my little, precious Bee Bee Bumblebee" he says in a baby voice.

"DAD!" I say louder.

"Andrew, stop embarrassing her" mom says, clearly trying (and failing) to hold back a laugh.

"I can't help it, Natie" he says but let's go of me.

For the next half hour I go around our backyard greeting everyone and thanking them for coming. I notice a few people I haven't met before, mainly guys, who sit by the pool with my cousins Lynn and Shauna, as well as Christina and another one of my friends, Marlene. I walk over to them to greet Marlene and introduce myself to the four men.

"Hi, Marlene" I say and she gets up to hug me.

"Hey, Tris. So good to have you back" she says smiling.

"How's the stomach doing?" Shauna asks knowingly.

"The little fucker could have done a better job" I say and the girls laugh.

"I don't get it" one of the men asks. He is a tall, dark-skinned, athletic young man who seems nice.

"Oh. Tris, let me introduce you to my boyfriend" Marlene says. "Tris, this is Uriah. Uriah, this is Tris" she says and we shake hands.

"Nice to meet you" I say smiling.

"Nice to meet you, too."

"Since we're flaunting boyfriends, here's mine" Shauna says gesturing to the guy who is sitting next to her. He is also dark-skinned and muscular, although Uriah seems taller. But this guy is definitely older. I think they might be related by the looks of it. "Tris meet Zeke."

"Hello, Zeke, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too. Shauna told me everything about you" he says and she elbows him.

"What?" he asks.

"I doubt she told you more than Christina did" another guy, white-skinned, tall, athletic but not really showing it.

"Tris, this is Will. My boyfriend" Christina announces. I shake hands with him and he sits back down next to her.

"I have to ask. Are you two related?" I ask pointing from Uriah to Zeke.

"Yeah, I had the misfortune to have him as an older brother" Uriah says and I chuckle.

"I know what you mean, bro" Zeke says "only I had an obnoxious baby brother who followed me around like a lost puppy." At that we all laugh.

"Yeah, brothers…" I say.

"What was that about brothers?" Caleb asks from behind me. I jump up and wrap my arms around his neck pulling him into a tight hug. "Slow down, there, Bee. You're gonna choke me" he says chuckling.

"I missed you, smart fart" I say using one of the names I gave him when we were children.

"Smart fart?" Uriah asks.

"Don't ask, dude" Caleb warns. "And you, stop calling me that" he points his index finger at me.

"Never" I say standing straight and saluting. That makes the others laugh. We all sit down and I realize I haven't introduced myself to the forth man. He is quietly sipping his beer, observing us. "I'm Tris, by the way" I say standing up and extending my hand over the table. He gets up and for the first time I really see him. He is tall, like really tall. About a foot taller than me, he is tanned, but I think it's genetic. He is muscular and fucking handsome. And that face… Jesus! Did I die and go to heaven? He looks like a freaking God. Tris, pull yourself together before you drool all over the patio table.

"Hi, I'm Four" he says and shakes my hand. It's a strong handshake, but he makes sure not to hurt me. I feel a tingling where our hands touch and a warmth spread through my body like a wildfire. I retract my hand, even though I'd love to hold his a little longer, but I realize there are still people around us. We both sit down and keep looking at each other.

"So, the old I'm sick trick didn't work" Caleb states casually. I look at him and smile.

"No, I guess I used that too often" I say and the girls and Caleb laugh.

"I still don't get it" Uriah says frustrated.

"Tris always used the I have a stomach bug trick to get out of doing things she didn't like. Of course, our dad still falls for that. He could never imagine his little Bumblebee tricking him" Caleb says the last part in a baby voice, while pinching my cheek.

"Shut up. You're just jealous 'cause it still works for me" I say sticking out my tongue at him.

"Really? How long have you been in the bathroom? Five minutes before mom got you out. You used to be better, Bee."

"He's right" Shauna says.

"Shut it" I say looking at her with fake anger.

"Cut the crap, baby face" Shauna says. "You are as scary as a chocolate chip cookie."

"Double chocolate chip cookie, if you please. I have both a light and a dark side to me" I say with my nose in the air.

"You mean dark of the moon?" Lynn teases.

"Oh my God! I almost forgot about that" Christina says squealing.

"No! Don't you dare say it!" I tell them all.

"Tell what?" Zeke asks.

"Bee showed her ass" Caleb says bursting out laughing.

"I just told you not to say it" I say frustrated.

"Come on, Bee. That's like the funniest thing you ever did" Shauna says.

"Not true" I defend. "I am funny."

"No, you're not. You are a nerdy bookworm who can give you a lecture on where the word funny came from. But actually being funny isn't your thing" she says.

"Not true. I know plenty of jokes" I say.

"Really?" Lynn asks raising an eyebrow. "Tell one."

"Alright. A neutron goes into a bar and orders a drink. When he wants to pay the barkeeper says For you no charge." I say and start laughing, but the rest of them remain quiet.

"Is it over?" I hear Zeke whisper into Shauna's ear. I look around and they all look at me like I'm sitting in front of them completely naked. The only one who seems to smile a little is Four.

"See? You are not funny" Shauna states.

"It's not my fault you don't get it" I say and get up.

"Bee, come on. Don't get upset" Caleb says.

"I'm not upset. I just need to pee" I yell over my shoulder.

Four's POV

"Maybe you shouldn't have teased her that much" Marlene says.

"Yeah, she just got back, you guys" Christina agrees.

"Come on. It's just fun" Lynn says.

"It might be for you, but she clearly didn't like it" Marlene says looking toward where Tris disappeared. I have to agree. She seemed really uncomfortable.

"Give me a break, Mar. She used to make fun of us when we didn't get something right at school" Lynn says.

"No she didn't."

"Really? How many times did she burst out laughing when I said something wrong?"

"A few, but that's because it was hilarious" Marlene says with a chuckle.

"Anyone can make mistakes" Lynn says defensively.

"Yeah, but you made them constantly."

"It's not my fault those quizzes were so hard" Lynn says leaning back into her chair.

"They weren't, you just didn't study enough. Even after Tris tried to help you" Christina says.

"She still shouldn't have made fun of me for not knowing or getting it wrong" Lynn says pouting now.

"And you should have studied more instead of going to every freaking party. Come on, Lynn. If it weren't for Tris none of us would have passed math and science" Christina tells her.

"You guys make Tris sound like she is some sort of genius and you are dumb" Zeke says.

"We are not dumb, but it was more difficult for us when it came to math and science" Marlene says.

"Yeah, to Tris it just came naturally. She is really good at it" Christina says.

"What about the moon?" Uriah asks.

"What?" Marlene asks.

"Caleb said she mooned someone" Uriah explains.

"Oh, that. Maybe we shouldn't talk about it anymore" Caleb says, looking away bashful.

"It was junior prom, someone spiked the punch, I drank too much and by the end of the evening I mooned everyone. I almost got detention, but since it was the first time I did something so stupid and it wasn't really my fault that the punch was spiked the principal forgave me" Tris explains. "Can we move on now. It's not funny" she says sitting down next to her brother and crosses her arms in front of her chest. She looks cute pouting like that. Wait. What? I shouldn't think of dating right now. I just got out of a terrible relationship. I don't need a Nita-repeat.

The mooning incident is soon forgotten and everyone starts talking. Tris is practically bombarded with questions, trying to answer them all. An hour later I know that she's 22 years old, she is Caleb's sister, obviously, she went to NYU and studied computer sciences and got a job here in Chicago, although I really didn't get what she is doing or what company hired her.

"Okay, enough about me" she says laughing. She has an adorable laugh. "What about you guys? Tell me something."

"Well, I just got hired by an architecture company" Will starts saying "I have an older sister, which has a thing for your brother" he says and Tris looks at Caleb with a curious expression on her face.

"Stop saying that. She has not."

"Yeah, she has. You should ask her out" Will says and everyone laughs at how Caleb blushed.

"I live in Boston, remember?"

"So? Cara moved there too. I think she wants to be closer to you" Will teases.

"Shut up" Caleb grunts.

"What about you Uriah?" Tris asks, sensing how uncomfortable Caleb feels.

"I got a job at a graphic design company. Well, it's actually an internship, but if I do well they will hire me. One more month to go" he says and crosses his fingers.

"I hope you get the job" Tris says smiling.

"Oh, he will" Marlene says kissing his cheek. "He might be silly sometimes but he is really good at his job."

"What about you Zeke?" Tris asks, moving on.

"Four and I have a fitness studio. At least for now" he says and looks at me.

"What do you mean?" Tris asks intrigued.

"We are both physical therapists and we want to expand the business. Right now it's just fitness, but we want it to be a recovery center."

"That sounds awesome" Tris says excited.

"You should come by sometime" Zeke offers.

"Yeah, Tris, you should. The guys teach self-defense classes" Shauna says.

"We already signed up for this month" Marlene says and Christina and Lynn nod.

"Well, then I'll definitely come too. How much does it cost? I mean. I don't have money yet. I could ask my parents, though" she says rather to herself.

"How about you come for the first session and see if you like it. If not, no charge" I say.

"That's not fair. You just met her and I as the girlfriend of one of the owners don't even get a discount" Shauna says in mock annoyance.

"Babe, you don't pay anything" Zeke says and kisses her cheek.

"Neither do the others" I add.

"For our friends it's free" Zeke says.

"I hope you don't have many friends then" Tris says and everyone looks at her surprised.

"That's an awful thing to say, Beatrice" Mrs. Prior, who just walked over with burgers on a plate, says to her daughter. "Apologize at once" she orders her.

"But mom, I didn't mean it like that" Tris says a little whiny.

"Apologize. Now!"

"I'm sorry" she says, but rolls her eyes a little. Her mom sets the burgers down and leaves us.

"Did you mean it?" Caleb asks grabbing a burger.

"Not a letter of it" she says with a chuckle. "I'm not sorry" she says looking at us. "I just meant, if you have too many friends who can use your gym free of charge you will soon get bankrupt" she explains.

"It's a good thing then, these are the only true friends we have" Zeke says and I nod in agreement.

"Oh, that's good then, I suppose" she says awkwardly.

"Sorry, but I didn't really get what you do" I say to her, a little embarrassed that I haven't paid so much attention. Just as she spoke the first time I got a text from my ex, Nita. She wants to give it another shot, like she broke up with me and owes me that much. She must have forgotten that I dumped her after she got in bed with Eric. I don't really care that we broke up. I never really liked her that much to begin with, but the fact that she wasn't honest enough to break up with me before moving on is really hurtful.

"I design security protocols for the internet" she says. "I just got hired by Dauntless Co. and I'll start there on Monday."

"Dauntless Co.?" Zeke asks. "That's a really big company" he says. I read about them. They are top of the line when it comes to internet security. They only hire the best of the best.

"Yeah, but thankfully I will have my own office and I won't have to interact with too many people."

"Bee here isn't the most social of people" Lynn says a little mockingly.

"People just don't get me and I don't get people. Simple as that."

"Yeah, the only thing our little Bumblebee gets is computers and computer viruses" Lynn continues teasing her.

"Hey, Lynn. Remember when Bee told you that you could skip a test if you tell your teachers you caught a computer virus?" Christina asks mockingly. At that Lynn blushes violently, obviously embarrassed about something.

"Shut up, Chris" Lynn says and gets up. The others who know the story laugh hysterically.

"Could somebody explain this?" Zeke asks.

"When we were younger, I think sixth or seventh grade, Tris actually convinced Lynn that you can get a computer virus if you stay in front of it long enough" Christina says between laughs.

"Come on. No one can actually believe that" I say and laugh too.

"Lynn did" Shauna assures us.

"Come on. Lynn can't be that stupid" Uriah says.

"She isn't" Marlene assures him. "But Tris here, believe it or not, can convince you the sky is red when it's blue, that snow is hot instead of cold, that broccoli tastes like fudge or basically anything else you can imagine. She is very persuasive, when she wants it."

"It's true" Caleb agrees. "She actually once convinced dad that he forgot the shower on and caused the bathroom flooding, even though Tris and I were the only ones using that bathroom and she clearly had still wet hair" he tells us. "She talked him stupid until he really believed he did it and forgot about it."

"Oh shut up. You would have done the same. Besides, need I remind you that thanks to my special gift I always got us into places?" she asks.

"That's true" Shauna says. "She convinced both our dads that during a camping trip they promised us to take us the new amusement park when we were little. I was twelve I think and Lynn and Tris were ten."

"Or do you remember when we sneaked out of gym class and she convinced our gym teacher that all three of us had to help with the decorations for the prom, when in fact we went to see a movie" Marlene asks.

"Or how she talked the movie theater manager stupid telling them that we're going to call the cops because we found some unsanitary crawlers in our popcorn, which by the way she put in?" Christina says. "We ended up having free popcorn and drinks, as well as a free movie to see."

"Couldn't he check the cameras?" Uriah asks.

"He could've, but by the time he would have went in the back to check we would have drawn a lot more attention to the bug incident."

"How exactly did she convince the manager to let you have free stuff?" Zeke asks.

"I told him that we are all willing to forget everything. We don't want trouble just as much as he didn't want that. We just came here to enjoy a lovely movie and eat some salty popcorn and drown everything with cold soda. I told him that we all should agree this never happened" Tris says.

"Why didn't you just pay?" I ask amused.

"Well, we left in a hurry and none of us had enough money to get both movie tickets and snacks, so I had to improvise" she explains with a laugh.

"How exactly did you meet?" Zeke asks.

"Well, as you know Lynn and Shauna are my cousins. I met Christina in kindergarten and we immediately became friends. Later in junior high we met Marlene" Tris answers. "How about you all? How did you meet?"

"I met Four and Zeke on campus the first day of college" Shauna says. "Remember I told you about the dumbass who is bugging me for the psychology notes" she says looking at him.

"Oh, that's Mr. Stupid Dumbass?" Tris says without thinking and immediately slaps her hand over her mouth, embarrassed. We all start laughing. I knew that Shauna used to call him that, long before they became a couple.

"I haven't heard that in ages" Uriah laughs hard.

"Shut up" Zeke says.

"I'm sorry, Zeke. And I'm sorry Shauna. It just slipped out" Tris says apologetically.

"It's okay. It's not like he doesn't know he used to be a stupid dumbass" she says pecking his lips.

"Hear that? I used to be" Zeke says with a wide grin.

"Yeah, you're only slightly stupid now" Shauna says with a grin of her own.

"That's not cool, babe" he says pouting.

"Anyway, I got to know Uriah through Zeke and Will through Uriah."

"Four and I know each other since elementary. We are best friends since" Zeke says looking at me.

"And somehow we all ended up getting to know each other and becoming friends" Christina concludes.

"When exactly is this free self-defense lesson?" Tris asks looking from Zeke to me and back to him, clearly waiting for an answer.

"We could do it right now" Zeke says jokingly.

"No" Shauna says forcefully. "We just got her back, I don't need you bonehead injuring her and getting her into the ER."

"Babe, I would never hurt her. Calm down. And what do you mean by bonehead?" he asks.

"I don't really mind a lesson right now, but I figure mom and dad would go nuts" Tris says looking toward her parents who entertain the rest of the guests.

"How about tomorrow?" I suggest.

"Huh?" Tris asks looking back and straight at me.

"Tomorrow is Saturday and if we meet early there won't be too many people there" I say.

"Tomorrow morning?" Christina whines.

"Yeah, what the hell is wrong with you, Four?" Lynn asks.

"Come on, girls. It'll be fun" Zeke says. "Besides the best moment of the day to work out is in the morning anyways. Afterwards we can go for a movie and some pizza and get to know each other better."

"That's actually a good plan" Marlene says.

We work out tomorrow's plan and one by one head home, allowing Tris to rest after the long journey back to Chicago. I first drop of Will and Christina and then drive home to my place. I walk into the building and bump into Eric. Unfortunately, he lives in the same apartment building as me and sometimes we just randomly bump into each other. I try to ignore him but he keeps talking to me.

"Hey, Four" he keeps calling after me, but I walk faster toward the elevator trying to get away from him. To my extreme misfortune he makes it too into the elevator and now I can't get rid of him until I reach my apartment. "Four" he tries again.

"Just leave me alone" I say growling.

"I hope you are not still upset about me and Nita?" he asks and I glare at him.

"Dude, just leave me alone" I say again.

"Come on. Nita told me that you are being difficult" he says smirking. I glare at him. "Don't tell me you are still upset about me and her?" he says with a laugh. "Come on, dude. It was just sex. I don't want her. She is hot and all, but a whore" he says.

"What makes you think I want her?" I ask.

"You don't? She has some really smooth body and a pair of tits to die for" he says gesturing how he would fondle them.

"You can keep her if you like her so much" I say and mentally thank the heavens that I reached my floor. I get out of the elevator and walk to my door. "Not that you need to know, but I'm glad she cheated. At least now I don't have to think of some lame ass excuse to get rid of her. So, I guess I should thank you for fucking that bitch" I say and get inside. I slam the door and lock it. I know this might sound like I'm jealous which I should be, but I'm not. I'm actually glad I broke up with her. The sex was good, no question, but other than that we had absolutely nothing in common. I don't even know if Nita is her name or a nickname and to be honest I never cared.

I go into the bathroom and take a shower. Without really wanting to I think back to the backyard of the Prior's and Tris. She is definitely nothing like I imagined her. I mean the girls kept talking about their friend, especially when they heard that she's coming back to live here in Chicago. And I knew a thing or two from Caleb since we played baseball together, but other than that the person I met today is even more interesting and intriguing than I imagined her to be. I go to bed and the last thing I think of before fatigue takes over is her: Tris Prior.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi. I'm so happy that you guys like the story. I'm not entirely sure how long this one will be, but definitely not as long as You and me against the world. Probably a dozen or so chapters. Depends on how inspired I am. Nevertheless, thank you all for reading it and reviewing it. Don't forget: this story comes with pictures on Pinterest. More detail in chapter 1.
> 
> Happy reading!

2

Tris' POV

I get up early and stretch in bed. I get up and walk downstairs where mom already waits for me with a hearty breakfast, just like she did every day of my life. I really missed that. I missed her. My whole family. I'm glad that I'm back at home.

"So, Caleb told me you are taking self-defense classes" mom says.

"Yeah" I say and eat a mouthful of pancakes.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you practice Krav Maga?" mom asks with a chuckle.

"Yeah" I say, although I know what she's actually saying.

"And?"

"I want to work out and the girls insisted" I say.

"And that young man is cute" she says and I choke.

"Mom" I say loudly.

"What young man?" Caleb asks entering the kitchen.

"The one who sat across from your sister yesterday and couldn't take his eyes off of her, the one with the weird name" mom explains.

"Ah, yeah, Four. But he is taken" Caleb says and opens the fridge to drink some milk.

"Use a glass, Caleb" mom scolds.

Four has a girlfriend? Why am I surprised? A guy like him had to have a girlfriend. And it's not like someone like him would look twice at someone like me. I bet she is tall and pretty and has actual boobs. Besides I just got out of a messy relationship. I don't need a new guy right away.

I finish my breakfast and go upstairs to get ready. I put on some yoga pants, my sneakers, a blank tank top and a crop sweat shirt. I walk downstairs to find Caleb also in his gym clothes.

"You coming too?" I ask confused.

"Yeah, while you ladies learn how to kick butt I'll work out" he says. We take his car and arrive at the gym shortly. The rest of our friends are already there outside waiting. We greet each other and enter. Christina introduces me to two of her acquaintances, Molly and Al, and then we get ready to start. I notice that Al keeps ogling me, which I find really uncomfortable. Maybe I should have worn a different pair of pants, maybe some sweats. Unfortunately it's too hot inside to keep my sweat shirt on so I pull it over my head and throw it in a corner.

"Hi everyone" Zeke greets us. "As you know today we'll show you some self-defense techniques. While the class is mainly for women, the techniques aren't gender based. We are not discriminating here" he quickly adds when he sees Shauna glaring at him. Just as Four is about to say something a tall, muscular man with a tattoo on both sides of his neck enters.

"What are you doing here?" Four asks unfriendly.

"I came for the self-defense class" he says. He doesn't seem like he needs it. But hey, who am I to judge?

"I asked him to come to help us" Zeke explains and Four glares from the new guy to Zeke. I watch him carefully and see that whoever this is, isn't a friend of Four's. Four closes his eyes and sighs, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

"Alright, let's get started" Four says forcefully.

They start by showing some basic defensive maneuvers which we all copy. I already know them, but maybe they show me something I don't know yet. We practice several moves for some time until they say we should try and fight each other. The guy with the tattoos walks over to me and I wonder what he wants.

"Hi, I'm Eric" he says smiling.

"Tris" I reply, trying to be polite.

"How about we try out some of the moves. A pretty girl like you should be able to defend herself even from attackers as big as me" he says smirking.

"You planning on attacking me?" I ask.

"I would never harm a beautiful creature like you" he says disgustingly sweetly.

"Alright then" I say and walk toward the designated ring.

Four's POV

I watch Eric approach Tris and want to walk over there when someone grabs my arm. I look back and see Zeke.

"What's up with you, dude?" he asks confused.

"That's what's up" I say pointing toward Tris and Eric.

"Eric is talking to Tris. So?"

"He is a low-life and I don't want him here anymore" I say.

"What's wrong with you?" Shauna asks in hushed voice.

"Apparently Four has a problem with Eric" Zeke says as if I'm not even here.

"He is talking to Tris. Maybe he likes her. She really needs to get laid and he looks like a nice piece of ass" Shauna says and both Zeke and I turn to look at her in shock. "What?"

"Babe, mine is the only piece of ass you should look at" Zeke says half amused, half serious. We all know he is not the insecure type and he would never forbid Shauna anything, but I get his point. Especially now.

"That douche slept with my ex" I say.

"Ex? What ex?" Zeke asks.

"Nita" I say and look back toward Tris and Eric. They are now walking to the mat to spar. I walk closer to it too, not liking him so close to Tris. I know I just met her, but she doesn't deserve a bastard like him. Or better yet, he doesn't deserve such a nice girl like she is. Zeke and Shauna follow me to the mat and while we all watch Tris and Eric spar they keep pushing for answers.

"When did you break up?" Zeke asks.

"Last week."

"I'm glad you got rid of her. I never liked her" Shauna says.

"Babe, I told you that you are more beautiful than she is" Zeke says.

"Shut up, Zeke. I'm not insecure. I just never liked her. Why'd you split?" Shauna asks.

"She cheated" I say and watch Eric closely. He touched Tris too many times. I'm about to make a move when Shauna pulls me back.

"She cheated on you with him?" she asks tilting her head toward the mat.

"Yeah. But to be honest I don't mind that so much. I mean, I mind that she lied, but I don't care that she doesn't want to be with me. It actually helped get rid of her" I say.

"Dude, what the fuck?" I hear Tris ask and taking a step back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" Eric says apologetically. I want to jump in and punch him but Zeke holds me back.

"Don't. We don't know what happened. Don't go all psycho" he says.

"Alright" Tris says. "I had about enough of this crap. Whoever taught you this is a moron and if you really want to know how to overpower your opponent" she says and leaps forward pushing her knee high and hitting Eric in the jaw which makes him stumbling backwards "you need to find his strengths first and make them his weaknesses. Right now, your pretty face probably gets you in all the right panties" she says and kicks Eric in the stomach "but after I'm done, not even the ugly nurse in the ER will want to look at you. So if you ever touch a woman that way again, especially when she tells you not to" she says as she takes out and kicks him in the head, before flipping herself over and hitting him with her left heel in the jaw making him fall to the ground "remember me and what I'll do to you" she finishes and stands tall over his unconscious body. She actually knocked him out. We all look at her both in shock and amazement, at least I do.

"What the fuck was that?" Lynn asks the question that is on everyone's mind.

"Teaching this scumbag a valuable life lesson" Tris says and walks toward the benches where her water bottle is. She drinks half of it before putting it back down. "Anyone else thinking he is better than a girl?"

"Nope" Uriah quickly says being closest to her.

"Where did you learn all that kung fu?" Marlene asks.

"It's not Kung Fu, it's Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defense system created for real life situations. I took several lessons in New York my first year of college. Getting mugged once is enough. The second time some schmuck tried to steal my backpack I fought back and kicked the living daylights out of him. When the police arrived they didn't know who to arrest" she explains and walks toward the punching bags. We all watch her dumbfounded and when she starts beating the shit out of the bag in front of her I smirk. This girl is amazing. She just took out someone twice as big as she is and now punches with all her strength the punching bag in perfect movements only a fighter has.

"What about him?" Marlene asks, checking on him. I don't care much for him, but I'm glad Marlene, who is a nurse, is here and makes sure he is alright. I don't want more trouble around here.

"Uri, Will, help me get him to the benches" Zeke says.

"Shauna, could you please bring the first aid kit?" Marlene asks and Shauna nods.

I leave my friends to deal with Eric and walk toward Tris who is expertly punching the bag. I watch her for some time and realize even though she is quick and fairly strong she still needs some pointers.

"You need to keep tension here" I say and place my hands on both sides of her middle section. Next thing I know she turns around and punches me hard in the jaw making me stumble backwards. "What the hell?" I say rubbing the sore place where she hit me. I look up and see a horrified look on her face.

"Oh my God, Four. I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. My mind was somewhere else. I'm sorry. I thought you were…" she says stuttering, but stops herself before she can say anything more.

"It's okay. You just startled me. And congratulations, by the way. You have a nice swing" I say, complimenting her.

"Thanks" she says and looks away.

"So, Krav Maga" I say awkwardly. What is wrong with me? I talked to cute girls before. Why do I feel like a virgin teenager around her?

"Yeah. Living on your own in a city as big as New York you need to know a thing or two" she says chuckling.

"Why didn't you say anything yesterday?" I ask her curiously.

"Well, I didn't know what to say. Besides I thought maybe you guys know a few things I don't and I could learn. But mostly I was excited about working out again" she explains and turns around, resuming her assault on the bag. I watch her for a minute and then remember what I wanted to tell her when I got here.

"As I was saying when you punched me" I say chuckling and she turns around to look at me, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "You need to keep tension here" I say and get close to her midsection again, but don't touch her. "Can I show you or will you punch me again?" I ask and she laughs lightly.

"I think I've punched you enough for one day. At least for now" she jokes.

"Good to know. But please feel free to tell me when you feel like punching me again. I want to be prepared the next time."

"See? That's your problem. You always need to be prepared" she says laughing.

"You are right" I agree.

"Okay, oh great Obi Wan, teach me in the ways of the Jedi" she says using a solemn voice.

"Please, don't tell me you are a "Star Wars" fan?" I ask amused.

"That bad?" she asks smiling, but I can sense her insecurity, although she tries to play it down.

"Not at all. I might or might not have been the president of the "Star Wars" neighborhood fan club when I was a kid" I say and rub the back of my head.

"Get out" she says slapping me lightly over my chest.

"Sorry to break this to you, but this is my place" I say and she laughs.

"Alright. Show me what I can do to improve."

We spend the next half hour punching the bags. I stand next to her using the bag beside hers and glance at her every now and then. I keep telling myself it's to correct her stance, but deep down I know it's more than that. She is intriguing, funny, smart, beautiful. I want to know more.

"So, Four. I have an important question for you" she says looking at me seriously. I stop punching and look at her, our bodies facing each other, just a few inches apart.

"Go ahead." She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She keeps them closed, as if she isn't sure how to ask her question. Maybe she wants to know why everyone is calling me Four. Or maybe she wants to know if I have a girlfriend. Maybe she likes me too. Maybe I should ask her out on a date. Maybe she wants to ask me, but can't muster the courage. "Will you go out with me?" I ask her quickly.

"Luke or Han?" she asks at the same time. She opens her eyes in shock. "What?"

"What?" I mirror her question.

"What did you say?" she asks. I look at her with wide eyes. Maybe this was a mistake. I just assumed she wanted to ask me on a date. Instead she asked me about "Star Wars". I take a breath and calm myself down. Why am I so nervous?

"I said, will you go out with me?" I ask her again. She looks at me curiously.

"Like on a date?" she asks confused.

"Yeah, a date" I say and crack a shy smile. She still looks at me shocked.

"Of course not" she says and her face turns angry. She turns her back at me and walks out of the gym. I stand there looking after her dumbfounded, not really understanding what I did wrong.

"What the hell happened?" I hear Caleb from behind me. "What did you do to my sister?" I turn to look at him and see he has a similar angry expression on his face.

"I honestly don't know" I say.

"You must have done or said something" Caleb says skeptically.

"What's going on?" Shauna asks coming over. Great, now the Prior family will lynch me. And I don't even know why. "What did you do, Eaton?" she asks.

"Nothing. I swear."

"Dude, you had to do something to make her storm off like that" Shauna says.

"I just asked her out on a date" I say. Shauna's eyes widen at first in shock, but then she smiles widely. "Good for you. But if you hurt her I'll break you apart" she threatens.

"Why would you even ask her out?" Caleb asks confused.

"What did she say?" Shauna asks and I turn from looking at Caleb to looking at Shauna.

"She said no."

"What? Why? What did you do?" Shauna asks again raising an eyebrow.

"I swear, I didn't do anything" I say, feeling like a dumb kid.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Caleb asks angry. "Tris is a nice girl. If you just want someone to fuck go to a club and leave her alone" he says grabbing me by the collar. I am so surprised by his reaction that I don't even move at first. The commotion caused everyone to look our way. Will and Zeke are the first to come over and drag Caleb away from me.

"What's going on?" Zeke asks confused.

"Stay away from my sister" Caleb says.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem. She doesn't want to go out with me anyway" I say.

"You asked Tris out?" Christina asks.

"Yeah, he did, but Tris said no" Shauna explains and suddenly I feel like I'm judged by all my friends.

"Of course she did. She is a decent girl" Christina says. "And I really thought better of you, Four" she says and storms out.

"What the fuck is going on here?" I ask.

"I tell you what's going on" Caleb says. "You just want to have fun with my sister."

"No I don't. I really like her" I say angry. I had about enough of this shit.

"The same way you like your girlfriend" he says. Now I get it. Other than Shauna and Zeke no one else knows I broke up with Nita. Oh my God, that's why Tris said no. She thought I was trying to get her in bed and cheat on my girlfriend.

"Did you tell Tris I had a girlfriend?" I ask Caleb, although I know this must be it.

"Of course I did."

"Alright. Then this is just a misunderstanding. I broke up with Nita. I wanted to do it for a while now, but she was clingy and I just couldn't find a way to drop her. But thankfully she proved to be every bit the slut you thought her to be and she cheated. With him" I say pointing toward the unconscious form of Eric.

"What?" everyone besides Zeke and Shauna ask.

"I'll let them explain it to you" I say and rush out after Tris. I need to explain this to her. I'm not the person she thinks I am.

I get outside and look for Tris. When I can't find her I just run to the right hoping she took this way. Fortunately for me not far from the gym is a park and there she is sitting on a bench with Christina. She looks sad. I stop abruptly and think of what I want to say to her. Both girls can't see me, since their backs are turned to the path. I walk closer to them and I can hear their conversation. I feel guilty for eavesdropping but I can't help it.

"I never thought Four could be such a jerk. I know he looks all intimidating, and I guess he is, but he never appeared to be a cheater" Christina says and I hear the disgust.

"Is it me, Chris? I mean, do I signal something to guys to just be jerks?" Tris says in tears. Oh God, she blames herself. Why would she do that? Even if this whole mess would be true it still wouldn't be her fault. "I mean, first Peter, now Four. What the fuck? Am I just that kind of girl guys pick to have fun with and then discard her like some old pair of sweat pants?"

"Of course not, don't say that" Christina tries to calm her.

"You know what the worst part is? I really thought Four and I could be friends. I mean I'm not looking for a boyfriend or anything, especially not someone like him" she says. What does she mean, someone like me?

"I give you he is hot, but so are you. Stop being so fucking insecure. You are a hottie. But you are more than just that. You are smart, funny, loyal and the best friend in the whole wide world."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. You never told me what happened with Peter" Christina says, curious as always.

"He is a colossal jerk. He just started dating me because of some bet. His friends bet him that he couldn't get the Stiff in bed" she says shaking.

"Stiff?" Christina asks confused.

"Nerd, dork, whatever you can think to describe someone like me" Tris says bitter.

"You mean beautiful, intelligent, bad-ass" Christina asks trying to cheer her up. Tris laughs at that but continues her story.

"He was really nice at first. We went out on dates and even though it wasn't the movie love story I didn't care. I was popular for the first time and that was because of him. By the end of my second year of college we had a couple name, Petris, I know stupid. I helped him with his exams, helped him study. I did everything he wanted me to do, even if I didn't wanted them. I thought I loved him, but I was wrong. I never did. I just didn't want to go back to being the unnoticed Stiff. But then I caught him cheating and when I confronted him he accused me of cheating first, that this was payback. The fight escalated and he hit me" she says. I ball my fists and the only thing I want to do is find this Peter and beat the shit out of him. How dare he hit a woman? Especially one he supposedly loved.

"What happened then?" Christina asks rubbing Tris' back.

"He didn't know about the Krav Maga lessons, so I fought back, which he didn't expect. If it weren't for a few friends of ours he would have been a lot worse. After he got better and we randomly bumped into each other he swore he would get back at me for humiliating him. I don't know where it came from, but I threatened to punch each and every one of his teeth out if he ever threatened me again. To my surprise he backed away and I never saw him again" she says.

"Wow. You are like a superhero" Christina says admiringly.

"I wouldn't say that" Tris says shyly. "But I learned early to never back down." They remain still for a while and I realize I should just walk over and talk to both of them. So I do. I walk in front of the park bench they are sitting on. Tris looks away embarrassed and Christina glares at me.

"Before any of you says anything let me just say this. I broke up with my girlfriend a week ago. She cheated on me, but even if she didn't I would have broken up with her anyway. I don't really like her, I was just too lazy to end things with her. I'm not the person you think I am, Tris. I would never do something like that. Especially not to someone so nice and decent like you are. You deserve better. And maybe I'm not the right guy for you. I'm sorry if I offended you" I say and turn to walk away.

"Wait" Tris says and I turn to look at her, our eyes locking.

"Yes?"

"Is that true or are you just saying that to get in my panties?" she asks directly. No bullshit with her.

"It's true. As a matter of fact, the guy she slept with is the douche you knocked out" I say with a chuckle.

"Eric?" Christina asks disbelievingly.

"Yeah. I thought I was upset that she cheated, but after reflecting upon it I realized I was more upset with myself for prolonging that relationship when I should've ended it months ago. She never liked me for me. We have hardly anything in common, except for living in the same city and being part of the same species" I say and Tris chuckles. "I know it was wrong of me to continue the relationship, but I just didn't know how to get rid of her."

"Get rid of her?" Tris asks intrigued.

"Yeah, that woman is like a leech. The guy couldn't even take a dump without having to tell her where he went" Christina says forwardly.

"Chris, TMI" I say.

"Oops, sorry. I guess I let you two talk then" she says and hugs Tris before she leaves. I keep standing in front of the bench looking at Tris who is looking after Christina's disappearing form.

"How long have you been watching us before you came over?" she asks surprising me.

"What do you mean?" I ask confused. How could she possibly know that? She turns around and points toward the tree I was hiding behind.

"You were there, hiding" she says as if reading my mind. "I saw you from the corner of my eye when you were coming closer to talk to us. I figured you where standing somewhere nearby since you didn't seem out of breath" she says and looks at me expectantly.

"A while" I say. "Can I sit?" I ask and she nods. I sit down next to her, we look at each other and she smiles softly.

"So, you didn't ask me out to get back at your girlfriend for cheating?" she asks tentatively.

"Ex. And no. I told you, I would have broken things off with her anyway. I just couldn't stand her anymore. I know this sounds awful but she could be a real bitch sometimes" I say leaning back.

"You sure you wanna go out with me after a break-up" she asks and my head snaps in her direction.

"I'm not asking you out because I wanna forget about her or anything. I know you think this is my rebound, but it's not. I asked you out because I wanted to. Because for the first time in a long while I find someone genuinely interesting and worth getting to know. I want to get to know you, Tris Prior. Whatever happens after the date we'll deal with it. Don't feel obligated to say yes or fear that this has to mean more than you want. If you want to end it after that date that's fine. I don't want to push you and I certainly don't want you to do things you don't want to" I reassure her. She leans back and looks straight ahead. She must be thinking about it, but doesn't say anything.

"Ask me again" she says without looking at me. I smile.

"Tris, would you go out with me on a date?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Updates every other date.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the delay. Couldn't access the server until now.

3

Tris' POV

I look at him and see his beautiful dark blue eyes sparkling. I can't help but feel excited about the prospect of going on a date with this gorgeous man.

"Yes" I say and he smiles.

"Alright. How about tonight?" he asks.

"Really? So soon?" I ask a little amused by his enthusiasm.

"Yeah. Why not?" he asks leaning back.

"Okay. Where are we going?" I ask. He thinks for a moment and then an idea must have come to him. He looks my way expectantly.

"There is a "Star Wars" marathon that starts at three p.m. What do you say? And afterwards we can have dinner somewhere" he suggests.

"Really? Six movies?" I ask skeptically.

"Actually it's just episodes four to six" he explains.

"Alright. Let's do that" I say."But how about we meet for lunch to actually get to know each other a little bit before we start this adventure in a galaxy far, far away" I say and he laughs.

"That's even better. How about I pick you up at one p.m., we get something to eat near the movie theater and then we can watch the movies?" he says excited.

"Deal."

We go back to the gym where everyone seems to have only one thing to discuss – me and Four. I try to avoid them but it's really hard when they move in packs and don't let you pass. They all ask questions at once, neither caring which one of the two of us answers.

"Shut up!" Four yells loudly making them stop badgering us. "Tris and I talked. Everything is fine now. I explained it was all a misunderstanding and she forgave me" he explains.

"Wasn't really much to forgive" I say.

"But are you going on a date now?" Christina asks. Geez, I almost forgot how nosy she is. Four looks my way and gives me a crocked smile.

"Yeah. We have a lunch date later" I say.

"What? Lunch?" Christina asks and makes a disgusted face.

"What's wrong with lunch?" I ask confused.

"Dude, seriously?" Shauna asks looking at him.

"What?" he asks just as confused.

"Lunch is for good friends or acquaintances, not a date with your girlfriend" Uriah says and I feel a blush creep into my cheek.

"She is not his girlfriend" Caleb says forcefully.

"Dude, I get she is your sister, but you need to let the little birdy fly" Zeke says, making me blush some more.

"Guys, stop it. You are making her uncomfortable" Marlene says.

"Can we please change the subject?" I ask, but they ignore me.

"You need a ride home?" Four asks me.

"I don't want to cause you trouble."

"No trouble. It'll be my pleasure. Besides this can be a preview of our conversation later at lunch" he says smiling.

"Okay, but just to get out of here."

While everyone seems to discuss if Four and I should or shouldn't do anything I grab my stuff and rush out where Four waits by his car. I get in and we drive off. I text Caleb so that he knows that I'm already on my way home and doesn't worry. The ride back is quiet. None of us says anything. When we finally get to my parents' house he parks the car in front of it and turns to look my way.

"I guess I see you in a bit" he says almost shyly.

"Yeah. One p.m." I say and he nods.

"Can't wait" he says and gives me a brilliant smile. I smile back, say goodbye and get out of the car. I walk to the front door expecting him to drive off, but he doesn't. I turn around and see him look at me. I smile embarrassed and wave awkwardly. He smiles and waves back. After that he starts the engine but doesn't drive off until I enter and close the door behind me. I hurry upstairs to my bedroom to get rid of my dirty workout clothes and take a long thorough shower. When I'm done I get out and walk to my room, when I see Caleb.

"So, you and Four" he says smirking.

"Stop that" I say.

"What?" he asks innocently.

"Stop teasing me" I say and walk passed him and into my room.

I'm standing now for over ten minutes in front of my wardrobe and can't decide what to wear. A knock on my door makes me sigh loudly and go to answer it. To my surprise it's mom.

"Hey, mom" I say and let her in.

"Hey, sweetie. So, your brother tells me you have a date with that cute boy from yesterday" she says and I almost choke. "No need to blush, sweetheart" she says. "So, what are you going to wear for your first date?" she asks and looks over my clothes. Thankfully I put everything in it yesterday after the welcoming party. Most of it is clean and whatever was dirty is already in the laundry.

"We're having lunch and then go to a movie theater to watch a "Star Wars" marathon" I say when mom picks up a floral summer dress.

"A movie marathon?" my mom asks skeptically. "That's unusual" she says looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Probably because we are unusual people" I say dismissively. I grab a pair of skinny blue jeans and a dark green tank top. I hold them up for mom to see and she nods approvingly. She allows me to finish getting ready and walks downstairs. I decide to put on a black lace thong and black lace bra; we might not end up in bed, but I do feel sexier wearing sexy lingerie. I finish up in my room and go to the bathroom where I style my hair in a side fishtail braid and apply a minimal amount of make-up – dark eyeliner, mascara and a rose colored lipstick. I hear the doorbell ring and hurry to my room to put on my flats and get my purse. I hurry downstairs where I find my dad practically interrogating Four about where he will take me, all the while mom and Caleb stand behind him smirking.

"We're going for lunch and then to a "Star Wars" marathon" Four explains. He hasn't noticed me yet, but the moment I take a few more steps he looks my way and his eyes widen. He looks so handsome, with his dark colored jeans and his dark gray skin tight tee shirt that reveals every one of his muscles. He smiles at me and I smile back.

"I'm ready to go" I say and walk passed my dad.

"Bumblebee, be back by ten p.m." he says.

"Not gonna happen" I say getting my cardigan from the living room, where I left it yesterday.

"Eleven?" my dad asks.

"Maybe" I say.

"No later than midnight" dad says and mom chuckles.

"How about Four and I spend the night at a cheesy motel doing grown-up stuff, like the naked people in the dirty movies?" I ask as I pass them and walk to the front door, dragging Four with me.

"Bumblebee don't say that. You are my little princess" dad whines.

"Honey, she is a grown woman. You need to accept that" mom says as I close the door behind us.

"But Natie" dad protests while Caleb starts laughing.

"Cheesy motel?" Four asks when we get in his car.

"Yeah, sorry about that. In my dad's mind I'm five years old, a virgin and have no fucking clue how to use a toaster let alone have wild passionate sex" I say emphasizing the last words. I watch Four closely as he swallows hard. "Relax, stud. I'm not gonna jump your bones. I just made fun of dad. He always pulls the same crap. But I apologize if any of us, me included, made you feel uncomfortable" I say realizing he might feel awkward.

"It's okay" he says as we drive away. "It was just a little unexpected" he says with a chuckle.

"Yeah, dad isn't the only one who sees me like a fragile little flower. Unfortunately so does Caleb, my cousins, my best friend and practically everyone I ever met. They think just because I'm short and a girl I can't give a beating or fight my own battles no matter the situation. They think I need protection 24/7 or else I might get kidnapped by the evil dragon and locked up in a tall tower" I say and he laughs.

"If what you did today at the gym is any indication I would be more afraid of what happens to whoever comes close to you" he says.

"Yeah, I usually hold back, but that dude really got on my nerves" I say and look out the window.

"What did he say to you?" he asks after a while.

"Nothing important. Just some macho crap" I say. I turn to look at him and he senses me staring. "You're not like that, are you?" I ask.

"Like what? Like Eric?" he asks a little offended.

"Macho, thinking that a woman can't take care of herself?" I ask.

"No. I believe that women can and should take care of themselves. But I also think that if I care for someone, be it family or friends or even a girlfriend, that that person would allow me to protect her and fight for her if necessary. Just because someone can fight his or her own battles doesn't mean he or she should do it alone" he says. We soon park the car and get out. None of us says anything after that. We get into a restaurant near the movie theater and order some lasagna and a chocolate cake for dessert.

"Tell me something about you. I feel like you know more about me than I know about you" I say as we wait for our food to arrive.

"There's not much to say" he says.

"Come on. Okay. How about this? I ask you a question and I also answer my own question. Afterwards you ask me, but answer your own too. Deal?" I ask smiling.

"Deal. You go first."

"Alright. Do you have siblings? I have Caleb, but you knew that."

"Yes, a half-sister, Rose. She's eight years old."

"That's nice."

"What's your all time favorite movie?" he asks. "Mine is Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark."

"Wow, that's a tough one. I like all kinds of movies. It really depends on my mood. Let me think. I guess Armageddon" I say and take a sip from my lemonade. "Favorite band or musician. Mine is Imagine Dragons."

"Get out. Mine too" he says excited.

"Really?" I ask laughing.

"Yeah, they are just great. Listen, there is a concert in about two months from now. We could go together" he says.

"Isn't this a bit early to make such long term commitments, Mr. erh. What's your last name?" I ask, embarrassed I don't know it or possibly have forgotten it.

"Eaton" he says.

"Mr. Four Eaton. Yeah, about that. I have to ask."

"Four is just a nickname. I played baseball in middle school and that was my number. My coach, Amar, started calling me that and it stuck."

"Oh" I say. "I think it was your turn to ask."

"Okay. Favorite food. Mine is steak."

"Cheese pizza. Favorite dessert. Mine is chocolate cake."

"Get out again. Mine too."

"Well, that's no surprise. Most people like chocolate cake" I say.

"True, but most people aren't us. Favorite drink."

"Alcoholic or not?" I ask.

"Both. I like beer and Mountain Dew."

"Well, I like rum and Mountain Dew. Fifty per cent in sync, I'd say." He chuckles and nods.

We continue these questions until the food arrives. Even during our meal we talk, mostly about trivial stuff, but by the time we finish our slices of chocolate cake, which by the way is just to die for, we get into serious stuff.

"My dad, Marcus, he was abusive with both me and my mom. She left him when I was twelve and took me with her, but the bastard convinced a judge that she couldn't provide for me. Mom tried everything to get me back, but the more she tried the more rights he got. I tried to keep it together, mainly for her. Fortunately, Marcus had a bit of a drinking problem and got easily angry. He used to beat me up, but always made sure not to leave marks. He usually used his belt on my back. But that one time he lost it and beat me up really bad. The neighbors heard us and called the cops. I don't remember much, I was unconscious when they got there. But after that my mom got full custody and my dad got locked up. I haven't seen him since" he tells me, but looks out the window. I let the tears that have gathered in my eyes fall freely. He turns to look my way, his eyes sad, but when he sees me crying he gets up and sits on the chair next to me, wiping my tears away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry with my fucked up story" he says a little angry at himself.

"Don't be sorry. Thank you for telling me this. I know this must be hard for you" I say and place my hand on his arm, rubbing it lightly.

"It is. Not many people know the story. The only ones who do are Zeke and Uriah, but I can trust them not to say anything" he says.

"Can I ask why you told me? I mean this is very personal and you don't know me yet" I say.

"I know, but somehow I feel close to you and I know that I can trust you. I know it defies logic, but this is how I feel."

"You wanna do something else today, instead of movies?" I ask.

"Why do you ask? You don't want to watch them anymore? Or have you changed your mind about the date?" he asks a little insecure.

"No, that's not what I meant. I was thinking, I mean, if you want we could go to the park and talk or take a walk. Whatever you want is fine with me. I mean I already saw the movies, it's not like I'm missing out on something. But I feel like spending time with you. Really spend time with you, not just sit next to you for six hours watching a huge screen" I say. He smiles softly and it warms my heart.

"We can do whatever you want. We could go to the park. There is a lake and we could rent a boat, if you like" he says, his eyes sparkling again.

"I'd love that" I say. He calls the waiter over and when I try to pay for my part of the bill he insists that he invited me on this date and it wouldn't make him look good. I chuckle at that and nod. We soon leave the restaurant and drive off to the park. On our way there we stop at a 7/11 to buy some snacks and a few drinks.

Almost an hour later we sit in a boat in the middle of the lake talking about our childhoods, our time in school, about our friends, about our exes. At some point he tells me about Clark, his mom's second husband who more or less adopted him. It's not legal, but Four cares a lot for the man and even calls him dad.

"It took me a few years, but Clark is the complete opposite of Marcus. If it weren't for him I wouldn't know what a dad is supposed to look like. I hope that one day, if I have kids I am half as good a dad to my children as he is to me, despite me being only his adopted son" he says with a small smile.

"I'm sure you will. You went through hell, but managed to become this wonderful man. I don't doubt for a second that you would make a great dad someday" I say truthfully. "May I ask you something? You can choose not to answer. I promise I won't get upset" I say.

"Go ahead" he says smiling.

"What's your tattoo?" I ask and he starts laughing. "What's so funny?" I ask confused.

"I thought you would ask me about my name" he says still laughing.

"Well, I didn't want to make you say it just because I asked. I guess you don't use it, because you don't want to" I say.

"Actually, almost everyone knows my name, but most of them call me Four."

"Okay. What is it then?" I ask curious.

"Tobias. My name is Tobias James Eaton" he says.

"Nice to meet you, Tobias James Eaton."

"Nice to meet you too, Beatrice Elisabeth Prior" he says and we shake hands.

"That was kinda dumb" I say.

"Just a little. So, you still wanna know about the tattoo?" he asks.

"Yeah."

"You wanna see it?" he asks smiling.

"Well, duh" I say and roll my eyes and he chuckles. He turns around and pulls his shirt over his head. He reveals a massive tattoo on his back that covers most of his skin.

"Wow, that's impressive. And ow, that must have hurt" I say with a chuckle.

"It was okay" he says. "It was the only way to cover up the scars from the belt" he confesses and I feel new tears gather in my eyes.

"Tobias, I'm so sorry" I say and he turns around.

"Please, don't cry. I don't want you to cry because of me."

"How can I not? That monster hurt you, his own child. The sole thought of it fills me with rage and anger and sadness. I wish I could do something" I say and look away.

"Tris, that's in the past. The child that feared his father no longer exists. I'm stronger now and I will never allow anyone to hurt me ever again" he says and I look into his eyes, an expression of determination reflecting in them. Before I know it Four, no, Tobias leans in and connects our lips in a sweet kiss. Too soon we part and I look into his eyes. "Sorry for doing that without asking you first, but I couldn't help it" he says smiling softly.

"No complaints here" I say and he chuckles.

"You mind if I do that again? I feel like it wasn't enough" he says and I nod. We soon kiss again and Tobias gently lays me down on the bottom of the boat hovering over me. We make out for a long while, forgetting everything around us. We get interrupted when his phone buzzes and even though he ignores it at first, it keeps buzzing. He groans and sits up pulling out the phone from his pants. He looks at the caller ID and mutters something.

"Everything alright" I ask tentatively.

"No. Nita, my ex, keeps calling me. She wants to get back. She actually had the nerve to say that she is willing to give it another try. Like I was the one cheating. You know what? I'll turn the phone off. My friends know I'm with you on a date and if my parents wanna talk to me and can't get a hold of me they usually call Zeke. Besides, I'm not a freaking teenager anymore" he says a little angry. He turns off his phone and I can't help but stare at his tattoo. He turns around and catches me checking him out. He smirks and kisses me quickly. "Like what you see?" he asks cocky.

"Uhum" I say and nod. "C'mere" I say and wrap my right arm around his neck pulling him back down and resuming our make out session. We only stop every now and then to draw in much needed air and every time we do so we smile at each other goofily. "Tobias" I say out of breath while he kisses my neck.

"Hm."

"What does your tattoo mean?" I ask and he pushes himself up so that he can look into my eyes.

"The flames represent obviously fire. The fire that burns in all of us, a fire that makes us strong and weak at the same time. Each symbol reflects a personality trait – the flame on top of my spine means bravery, the joined hands selflessness, the eye means intelligence, the uneven scale honesty and the tree means kindness. I want to be all of them, not just one. I don't want to be defined by just one thing in life, although I have to admit I struggle with the last one" he says chuckling.

"Kindness? Why?"

"I'm not always kind to people."

"You are guarded with strangers, but you are kind to your friends. And you were kind to me. A lot actually" I say grinning.

"You, Ms. Prior, will be my death" he says before resuming his onslaught on my lips. They are tingling from all the kissing but I don't mind. I don't mind at all.

When his stomach grumbles we laugh and sit up again. He puts his shirt on and we eat the potato chips and chocolate chip cookies we bought.

The remainder of our date we spend talking and kissing and just getting to know each other better. To my father's delight we arrive at my house just a little after ten p.m. and decide to go on another date the next day. We kiss goodbye, but unlike the fiery kisses we shared on the boat this one is sweet, short and chaste. We say goodnight and I watch him drive off.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Tobias' POV

Three months later.

Tris and I have been a couple for three months now. Ever since that Saturday afternoon we have been inseparable. I introduced her to my parents who immediately liked her, Rose loves her and tells everyone she is her new sister, because she and I are going to get married and have many babies. At first I got really embarrassed about that and I could tell Tris was too, but this soon became Rose's thing and we just ignored it. She is just a kid after all. But I would lie if I would say that it didn't cross my mind. I mean, I love her and she is special. She is nothing like any girlfriend I had before. She is loving and supportive, loyal, honest. She is more than just my girlfriend, she is my partner, my lover, my soul mate. Until now I didn't have the guts to tell her how I really feel. But since we've decided to move in together I wanna do it in our first home, because I hope that it will be our home for as long as possible and if this isn't home than maybe the next apartment will. Whatever place we choose to live in it'll always be her and me.

"Honey, could you get the boxes with the books" I hear her from the living room. Our friends helped us with the move. I gave up my small studio apartment and we rented a nice apartment together. Right now we're just finishing up in the living room and will continue tomorrow with the rest. The worst is already over.

"Sure" I say and walk into the hallway to get them.

"One at a time, Tobias. I don't want you to get hurt" she says.

"If I get hurt I have my personal naughty nurse to take care of me" I say as I sit one of the boxes down next to her and kiss her cheek.

"How is naughty nurse going to help you?" she asks with a chuckle.

"The same way she always does" I say.

"I doubt a 69er will help with your back pain" she says and I feel myself getting uncomfortable in my pants.

"Woman, if you talk dirty like that I'm gonna take you right there on that floor" I say as I return with the second box. She looks up at me smiling.

"Promise" she teases.

"You asked for it" I say and push her down on the floor attacking her pulse point.

"Tobias, we have still stuff to do" she says laughing, but doesn't do anything to stop me. If anything she encourages me by holding my head closer to her neck. I suck lightly on her soft flesh making sure to leave a mark. "Stop that" she says laughing. "Everyone at work teases me already about the hickeys. I just got rid of one."

"They're jealous" I say and resume my task.

"Maybe, but I really don't wanna be called hickey girl anymore" she says chuckling. I let go of her and look her in the eyes.

"You serious?" I ask amused. "They call you that?"

"Yeah. They even suggested I should check the hickeys with a doctor, that they can't be healthy, at least not that many."

"Nonsense" I say. "If anything your neck demands more of my marks."

"Tobias, you are not a dog and I'm not a street lantern. You don't have to mark me to know I'm yours" she says amused and props herself up on her elbows. I kneel between her parted legs and smile at her adorableness.

"Babe, I kiss you, I'm not peeing on you" I say.

"Be that as it may you don't need to mark me to keep other males away from me. Because (a) I can keep them away myself, (b) no one who knows me or you or us both dares to come near me and (c) I have eyes just for you. I'm yours, Tobias, so stop worrying." She gets up and I feel a pang of guilt. I know that what she says is true and I trust her completely. She is actually the first person, other than my mother, that I trusted from the very first moment I met her. She never once gave me any reason to doubt her and I know she is loyal. But she is more important to me than anything or anyone in this world. I would die for her.

"Tris" I say and get up and follow her into the kitchen. "I don't doubt that. But just to clarify, you might not see it or want to see it, but every guy we pass turns his head around to look at you, which makes me both proud and jealous."

"You don't have to be jealous. I told you I'm only yours."

"I know, baby, but I can't stop it. And as for the hickeys I'm just playing with you. Tris" I say and grab the mug she wanted to put away from her hand and put it down on the counter. I turn her around and cup her face in my hands. I look deep into her eyes. It's now or never. Come on, Eaton, stop being a pansycake.

"What is it?" she asks confused.

"Tris, I wanted to tell you something for a long while now."

"Yeah?"

"I wanted it to be special, romantic, but I always chickened out."

"Yeah?"

"You are the first girl I ever felt so strongly for."

"Yeah?"

"And I wanted to be absolutely sure, because you deserve the absolute best and I'm still not entirely sure that's me."

"I love you, too" she says and cuts me off and smiles brightly.

"Babe, what the frog? I tried here to be super romantic and declare my love for you" I say teasingly.

"Well, then say it and stop babbling" she orders.

"I love you, Tris Prior."

"I love you, too, Tobias Eaton" she says and we kiss gently. It's soft and sweet and full of love. "Even though you are a chicken" she says pulling slightly away before kissing me again, this time more passionately.

"I'm gonna let that slide, just this once, missy" I say and pick her up carrying her to our new bedroom. She giggles the whole way, but keeps kissing me. I throw her on the bed and thankfully it's big enough. The first time we did that in my old apartment, on my old bed she bounced off and fell down. She started laughing hysterically and we ended up making love on the floor.

"Good thing this bed is big enough for that" she says laughing, remembering that too.

"I just thought of the same thing. So, Ms. Prior, are you ready to be loved for the first time in your new home."

"Actually" she says "not yet" and gets up. I look after her as she walks out of the room. I hear a door open and close and wonder if she left the apartment or something. Just as I want to go out and look for her she returns in her bathrobe. "I'm all sweaty and dirty from the move. I don't want the bed sheets to get dirty as well. I'm going to take a shower, but I'd love some company" she says and lets the robe fall to the ground, revealing her perfect body to me.

"After I'm done with you, you're either going to be super clean or even dirtier. What do you prefer?"

"I leave it to you" she says. I take two big steps toward her and throw her over my shoulder, carrying her into the bathroom. I put her down and I'm pleased to see that she already prepared everything. It was Tris' idea to get this apartment. It's a bit pricier than we expected but when Tris saw that the bathroom was equipped with both a shower and separately with a tub she insisted to get this one. Now that I see what she's up to I'm glad I said yes to this apartment. We step into the shower and are immediately hit by the warm spray. We both wash each other, which has become sort of a ritual of ours. Even in the mornings before work we use to do this. It's usually just that, washing each other. But sometimes we heat up the place, if you get what I mean.

"Could you hand me the body wash?" I ask her. She stretches out to grab it and hands it to me. "I meant yours" I say with a chuckle.

"You should have said so" she says pinching me lightly. "Here" she says and hands me her strawberry scented body wash. I open the cap and inhale the familiar scent.

"Hm, smells of Tris" I say.

"You are nuts" she says laughing.

"Nuts about you" I say and kiss her shoulder.

"And I'm nuts about your nuts" she says and we both burst out laughing.

"Who's nuts now?" I ask still laughing. God, I have the best time with this girl. How can someone be so smart, funny, sexy and absolutely gorgeous all at the same time?

"You are" she says and blows some foam my way.

"Hey" I say offended. I pick her up and she automatically wraps her legs around my waist. I lean up to kiss her sweet lips. The kiss starts out slow and gentle, but soon becomes more demanding as I lick her bottom lip with my tongue. She immediately opens her mouth and I push my tongue inside it, mating it with hers. She moans into the kiss and I feel myself getting hard.

"Someone has a boner" she teases.

"Can you blame me?" I ask and kiss her pulse point. I turn us so that her back hits the tile wall. I press her against it and she starts grinding against me. "Who's excited now?" I tease her back.

"Baby, you know I always get excited when you take me in the shower against the wall" she pants.

"You want me to take you?" I ask. She nods. "Let me check if my baby is wet for me" I say and push my right middle finger into her core. She starts squirming and moaning and arching her back toward me. I'm glad to see that she is already hot, bothered and wet. I grab my cock and rub it against her slick entrance, moisturizing it enough to slide inside her without restriction.

"Tobias, fuck me already" she pants heavily.

"As you wish, my love" I say and thrust into her deep and fast and we both let out loud moans.

"Oh. My. God!" she says loudly.

"I know, baby. You feel so good around me" I say as I start thrusting slowly in and out.

"I've been waiting for this the whole day" she manages to say between taking deep breaths.

"Why didn't you say something? I would have done something about your itch" I say with a chuckle. I would've.

"Honey, don't be ridiculous. Until an hour ago all our friends were here. We didn't have one…." She trails off as I increase my pace and rub her clit with my thumb. "Fuck, Tobias, that's the spot."

"I know what my baby likes" I say smugly.

"Stop grinning like that" she says laughing.

"Can't help it. What were you saying about our friends?" I ask her even though by now she is completely lost in the sensations. I doubt she even heard me. I pick up the pace once again, pounding into her, getting her closer to her release as I feel my own approach rapidly. I capture one of her hardened nipples between my teeth and bite lightly as the pleasure overcomes her and her walls clench painfully around my pistoning cock. I soon reach my own summit, spilling deep into her and moaning her name as I come.

"Oh, fuck, Tobias. That was great" she pants.

"Ahem" is all I can muster. I slowly put her down on her own feet, unable to sustain both our weights anymore, but I still keep my arms wrapped around her.

"I love you" she says softly before kissing me above my heart. I will never get tired of hearing those words coming from her.

"I love you too" I say and kiss her gently. I will never get tired of saying these words to her either.

"We should get into the tub, before the water gets cold" she says and leads me out of the shower, after she turns off the water and climbs into the tub. I climb in as well, sitting behind her, her back pressed against my chest and we just relax. She put up scented candles before she came to call me in. I have to say it's both romantic and relaxing. We remain like that, quiet, for a long while, both of us enjoying the warm water, the ambiance but more importantly each other.

"Tobias, I have to tell you something" she says and I can tell she is serious.

"Anything" I tell her.

"Yesterday I ran into Eric and Nita" she says. At the mention of both of them I stiffen.

"Did he talk to you? Did the bastard hit on you?" I ask a little angry.

"No. He actually was kind of nice. I guess he remembers how I can take him down if necessary" she says with a chuckle. I know she can. We've sparred a few times since that first self-defense lesson, which she didn't need. She is really good and I'm proud of her and happy to know that even when I'm not around she can take care of herself. But that won't stop me from being her knight in shining armor. "It was Nita who talked" she says and I tilt my head so that I can see her. She does the same and we look into each other's eyes.

"What did she say?" I ask.

"Not much, except for trash. She said she couldn't believe that you would pick me over her and that it wasn't her fault that she went to a real man" she says. Before I can say anything she cups my cheek with her right palm and I lean into her touch. "I told her to fuck off. That she wouldn't know what a real man looks like even if he sat on her face. That she is a slut and I suggested to Eric to check for genital warts since his girlfriend is like a public urinal" she says and leaves me speechless.

"You said that?" I ask, although I can literally picture the scene before my eyes. It's not the first time Tris proved to be witty and smart about things like these.

"Of course. Before I left I turned around and told her that I corroborated this with all your other ex-girlfriends and they all said you were their best fuck and practically ruined them for other guys" she says.

"You did not" I say amused.

"Did not what? Say that or call all your exes?" she asks casual while playing with my hand and leaning back.

"Uhm, both."

"Actually, I said it. But I didn't call anyone. It just pissed me off. Like sex is the only thing that matters in a relationship. And even if ours would be purely physical I still wouldn't say that you aren't a real man. In fact, you, Mr. Eaton, have ruined me for other men" she says standing up and stepping out of the tub. The water started to cool and we should go to bed.

"Really?" I ask both amused and intrigued. Does she mean that?

"Of course" she says wrapping one of the big fluffy towels we recently bought around her petite frame. "You are kinda stuck with me now. I can't just go and find me some other world class stud to fuck my brains out" she says nonchalantly and walks into the hallway. "Drain the tub and blow out the candles" she tells me.

"You're kinda bossy, Ms. Prior. I don't think I like that" I say.

"I'm not bossy" she says poking her head inside startling me a little which makes her laugh lightly. "I am the boss. And you like it, especially when I spank that cute butt of yours" she says and disappears again. Holy crap, that woman is going to be the death of me. I hurry in the bathroom and join her in the bedroom.

"Let's sleep in the nude" I say and she smiles.

"It's kind of chilly. You'll need to keep me warm tonight" she says smirking.

"You can bet on it" I say and get into bed with her. We snuggle and kiss and after a while we both fall into a peaceful slumber.

Tris' POV

I wake up early the next morning. Tobias is still sleeping behind me, keeping me close to his body. I try to escape his embrace without waking him and fortunately I manage that. I get out of bed and put on one of his tee shirts, which looks more like a dress on me. I chuckle to myself and walk into our new kitchen. I'm glad we first took care of the kitchen. I hate it when I have to look for something. I take out the ingredients to make some scrambled eggs with bacon and start the coffee maker. The smell of the food must have woken Tobias up because the next thing I know is that two strong arms envelop me in a loving embrace.

"Good morning, honey" I say and turn my head to kiss his jaw. The stubble tickles me and I giggle.

"Morning, babe. This smells godly" he says in his husky morning voice that I came to love.

"Sit down, it's almost ready. Want some OJ?"

"Just coffee" he says as he sits down at the kitchen island. I fill his plate with food and set it in front of him. I fill my own and sit next to him. We eat in silence and when I'm done I just lean my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around me and holds me close. "What's on the agenda today?" he asks as he takes another sip of his coffee.

"We do the bedroom and the balcony. I'm so glad about the balcony. It's small but I have a few ideas to make it feel cozy" I say.

"I'm sure you do. You have good taste, baby" he says and kisses my temple. I get up and start gathering our dishes when Tobias stops me. "No, you made breakfast, I clean up" he says and takes everything out of my hands. I nod and peck his cheek. I go into our bedroom and put on some of my clothes to start with the clean-up and decorating part. "You know, I wouldn't mind it if you would do this naked" he says as he walks in.

"I think our neighbors might if I go out on the balcony in my birthday suit" I say chuckling.

"Yeah" he says pensive "I might not like that either. That gorgeous body of yours is just for my eyes only" he says with a smirk while wiggling his eyebrows.

"You are really nuts" I say. "Come on. Let's get started. I don't want to spend the whole day cleaning. Tomorrow we have to go to work and I want at least a few hours of just doing nothing."

"Let's start then" he agrees. He puts some sweat pants and a tank top on and we start in the bedroom. Thankfully the guys put all the furniture in its right place yesterday, so everything we need to do today is put the clothes and books and DVD's away and decorate the space to make it feel like home.

We spend the better part of the morning working in the bedroom. I had absolutely no idea I owned so many pair of shoes and apparently a ton of clothes. I decide to sort through the clothes next weekend and throw out really old stuff and what is still wearable give to charity. I don't need all that stuff. I even found shirts and pants I don't even wear anymore.

By noon we decide to order Chinese. Neither of us was in the mood to cook and we were both too exhausted to go out. Thank God for home delivery service! We eat our food and watch some TV. An old episode of "That 70's Show" is on and we laugh as Kelso once again falls of the water tower. Tobias takes the trash out and I walk out on our balcony. The moment I saw it I knew exactly how I wanted to style it. I start without Tobias and think of the things I still need to personalize this space to make it feel cozy.

"Wow, you are like a regular working bee" he says as he pokes his head outside.

"You like it?" I ask.

"Yeah. But we need something over our heads in case it rains. I'll go buy everything I need tomorrow and do it with Zeke later this week" he says inspecting the wall.

"That's so thoughtful. Thank you" I say and kiss his cheek.

"No problem" he says and pulls me in his arms. "Let's finish this and then we can relax on the couch." I nod and between the two of us the balcony starts to look like a little cozy corner of heaven.

The rest of the evening is spent on the couch watching "King of Queens" episodes and eating junk food.

Tobias' POV

Two weeks before Halloween.

Life couldn't be better. I have my own business, great friends, a loving family and above all I have Tris. We are now four months a couple and things are better than ever. We have the occasional fight, like any couple, but we never stay mad at each other.

The longest we haven't spoken was an entire day and I swear it broke me. I could tell that it was no different for her. The moment I got back home I found her in the kitchen. It was silly actually and I felt bad the whole day. I thought of buying her flowers, but felt it would be too much of a cliché to do so. I didn't want to buy her flowers just because I screwed up. She deserves flowers regardless. I entered the kitchen and said hi, but she didn't turn around.

"Dinner is almost ready" she said and I could hear she had been crying. I walked over to her and turned her around gently. Her eyes were red and puffy and my heart broke into a million pieces.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to make you cry" I said and pulled her in my arms.

"It's okay, Tobias. We are both stubborn and this might happen from time to time" she said, her voice muffled by my sweater.

"But you cried. I never meant to make you cry" I said and she pulled away smiling shyly.

"I didn't cry because of you" she said, which made me raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, I was angry and I felt like crying because of it. But I'm not sad and I'm not mad at you. It was silly and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, baby. But why did you cry?" I asked not entirely believing her.

"Onions" she said and tilted her head toward the chop board.

"Oh" is all I said when I realized what happened.

"I'm sorry you thought you made me cry. I'm fine really. Let's just forget it and move on" she said. We soon forgot the whole incident.

I'm currently looking for a Halloween costume with Zeke. Tris' parents throw a Halloween party and invited all of us. Tris said I should pick something out and then she'll pick one out that matches mine. She said she doesn't want to make all the decisions in our relationship (which we both know she doesn't, we always talk things through), but my guess is she doesn't know what to wear and leaves it to me to inspire her.

"As what will you go?" Zeke asks Will who suddenly appears out of nowhere.

"Pharaoh" Will answers.

"So, I guess Christina is Cleopatra or somethin'" Zeke says chuckling.

"Yeah. I'm not really looking forward to wearing a skirt in public" Will whines.

"You think that's bad?" Uriah asks coming to us. "Marlene wants to go as Raggedy Ann. Guess who's Raggedy Andy?"

"If you already have your costumes why are you here?" I ask, looking through the variety of costumes.

"To look for something else. Maybe I can convince Mar to wear a Catwoman costume and I can be Batman" he says hopeful.

"Yeah, right" Zeke puffs.

"Could happen" Uriah says.

"In your dreams, man" Will says slapping his shoulder lightly.

"What about you, Four? What is your woman making you wear?" Uriah asks.

"Tris allowed him to pick something out" Zeke says in a teasing manner.

"She didn't allow me. It's not like I have to ask for permission" I say and punch my best friend in the arm.

"Hey."

"What are you going to wear?" Will asks Zeke.

"I'm going to be a pirate and Shauna is going to be a mermaid" he says grinning.

"Oh, damn. Why didn't I think of that?" Uriah complains.

"I could dress up as a doctor and convince Christina to go as a slutty nurse" Will suggests.

"You really think Christina will go for that?" I ask.

"Just because your girl is shy doesn't mean mine is" Will defends. I chuckle to myself. Yeah, Tris could be called shy. In public. But in the bedroom. Woohoo.

"Why are you smirking, Four?" Uriah asks. I wasn't aware I did that.

"My guess, his girl might be shy with us, but not so much with him" Zeke says wiggling his eyebrows. God, I regret telling him about the naughty nurse costume. I never told anyone, even Zeke, about my sex life. At least no details and especially nothing about Tris. That's between me and her and she assured me she never spoke to the girls about it either.

"Details, man, details" Uriah pries.

"Guys, you know I won't tell you. Whatever happens between me and my woman stays between me and my woman" I say and walk further into the store.

"Why are you even trying?" I hear Zeke ask. I look around and my eyes land on a Danny costume from "Grease". It's not really my thing, but I would love to see Tris dressed up as Sandy. Naughty Sandy. Oh no, Eaton. Not here, not now. Your friends don't need to see you with a hard-on. I calm myself down and walk to the register to pay for it.

The guys convinced me to go out with them for a beer. I texted Tris that I will be late so that she doesn't worry. But she hasn't texted back yet. I hope she is fine. She usually texts immediately. Maybe she is in the store. Sometimes she doesn't hear her phone. She will text back. An hour passes and there's no text. I try to call her but she doesn't answer. I start to worry. It's unlike her to not answer my texts or my calls. I send another text and decide to wait, but when she still doesn't answer I get up and leave. My friends keep telling me that I overreact, but this isn't like her at all.

On my way home I try to call Tris' phone a few times. Maybe she forgot it at home and is at her parents' house or with the girls. I decide to call Christina. In case Tris is just with the girls having fun I don't want to worry Natalie. I dial Christina's number and wait for her to pick up.

"Hello? Four?" she asks.

"Christina, hi. Is Tris with you?" I ask quickly, not wanting to engage in meaningless chit-chat.

"Four, I tried to call you, but your phone was busy" she says a little nervous.

"Is Tris with you?" I ask her more forcefully.

"Four, calm down."

"Christina, for the love of God, just answer me."

"Four, Tris is in the hospital" she says. I almost crash my car in the one in front of me. I pull over and park the car as quickly as I can.

"What? Why? What happened?" I ask. A million scenarios fly through my head, but nothing makes sense.

"We were at the mall shopping and we bumped into your ex. She picked a fight with Tris and then pushed her down the stairs. She hit her head hard, Four" Christina says sobbing.

"Where are you? What hospital?"

"Memorial" she says and breaks out crying. I hang up and drive off. I connect my phone to my board and dial via Bluetooth Tris' parents' home number. I let it ring a few times but no one answers. I then call Andrew's number. I let it ring again and finally he picks up.

"Son, where are you?" I hear Andrew's voice breaking.

"In my car on my way to the hospital. You know?" I ask.

"Yes. We are on the second floor in the waiting room." I hang up and hurry there. To my surprise my parents are there as well but I don't care about anything other than Tris.

"How is she?" I ask Andrew who is holding Natalie in his arms.

"She hit her head hard when she fell and they had to operate on her. The doctor hasn't come out yet to update us, but I'd rather have him in there making sure my baby girl is alright than chit-chatting with the bunch of us" he says and I nod.

"What happened?" I ask the girls who are sitting on the chairs. Christina cries inconsolably, Marlene tries to calm her. Lynn paces around like a caged animal and Rose clings to dad's neck crying silently.

"We were on our way to get a bite when we ran into that bitch. Tris tried to ignore her but that bitch kept following us. She said hurtful things about Tris but my cousin just ignored her. But then she started saying that you are only with Tris out of pity and that the you and Nita got together for a good fuck from time to time" Shauna tells me angrily. "You are my friend and I know you, but if what that bitch said is true I will personally rip you to shreds. You got that?" she asks poking my chest. I look at her dumbfounded. What? Me cheating on Tris? That's absurd.

"Shauna, I swear, I haven't seen Nita since we broke up and even if I'd seen her it would have been by accident. I sure as hell don't want to see her. And I would never, ever cheat on Tris. I love her and she's the only woman for me." Just then the doctor comes out and we all look up. "How is she, doctor?" I go to him and ask.

"And you are?" he asks.

"Tobias Eaton, I'm her boyfriend" I say.

"Alright. Ms. Prior is stable now. She had a swelling in the brain but we managed to get it under control. We will monitor her to see if there are any residual injuries. Sometimes brain swelling doesn't allow us to see the whole damage. We'll just need to wait now and observe."

"Oh my God" I hear Natalie gasp.

"That's good news, Natie" Andrew says comfortingly.

"It is" the doctor confirms. "But I also have some bad news" he says and we all look at him. My heart is pounding rapidly in my chest and it feels like it wants to jump out. "The impact was too violent and unfortunately Ms. Prior lost her baby." We all look at him in shock, at least I do. Baby? Tris is pregnant? Was? What the hell is going on? I sit down in a nearby chair resting my head in my hands.

The doctor leaves us and I hear the others talking but I couldn't care less. The love of my life is in a hospital bed fighting to get better and I just found out that the baby she was caring died. I didn't even know she was pregnant. Why wouldn't she tell me? I need to see her. I need to speak to her.

I get up and look around like a mad man. I see Andrew coming toward me. I hadn't even noticed that he was gone.

"She is asking for you" he says with sadness in his voice. I nod and follow him to her room. I enter and for a moment I stop breathing. She looks so small and fragile and all I want to do is gather her in my arms and keep her safe.

"Come here, sweetheart" Natalie beckons me to sit on Tris' bed. I slowly walk over there not wanting to disturb her in any way. Tris moves her head a little and looks up, a sad smile on her bruised face. I could kill Nita for what she did.

"Hey" Tris says in a hoarse voice.

"Hey" I say back.

"No make-up can cover up this, huh?" she jokes, but there's nothing funny. She looks at her mom and Natalie nods. Her parents leave us alone and I sit on the chair Natalie sat on. I tentatively stretch out my hand to grab hers. "You can touch me, I won't break" she says smiling.

"I'm so sorry, love."

"It's not your fault" she says and tries to squeeze my hand.

"Tris, I swear to you. I haven't seen Nita since I broke up with her and I sure as hell would never cheat on you, with anyone. I love you more than anything in the world. You are the love of my life" I tell her, pouring my heart out to her.

"I know, Tobias. I don't doubt you for a second. That's what I told that lying bitch. She couldn't handle it and pushed me. I lost my balance and fell" she says.

"Tris?" I say, but I don't know how to continue. I want to ask her about the baby, but I don't want to upset her. She needs her rest.

"Mom told me. I didn't know either" she says.

"What?"

"I had no clue I was pregnant. I asked mom to ask the doctor to come and see me to explain it to me" she says and a tear rolls down her cheek. I wipe it away and kiss the wet spot. Just then a female doctor comes in.

"Am I interrupting?" she asks.

"No" I say.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Montgomery. I'm an obstetrician and gynecologist. Dr. Stevens asked me to come talk to you about your terminated pregnancy" she tells us.

"Yes. Are you sure I was pregnant? I mean I didn't even know" Tris says frustrated.

"The pregnancy was early, three-four weeks at most" the doctor tells us. She explains to us that a woman can lose a pregnancy even if she lies down completely still. The first trimester is very delicate and nothing anyone can do could prevent it. Of course, what happened to Tris was a tragedy and the doctor offers her support to help us both cope with the loss, but we are both too surprised to learn that there was anything to lose to begin with.

"What if I want to become pregnant again?" Tris asks surprising me a little. Does she want a baby? We never talked about it, but I'd love to have a family with her.

"I examined you and you are fine. But I would suggest to wait for a while before trying to get pregnant."

"I wasn't planning on doing it anytime soon" Tris says with a chuckle. "Just asking."

The doctor leaves us a few brochures and gives us her business card to call if we need anything. We thank her and she leaves us alone.

"You okay?" I ask her.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean my head hurts, but that's normal" she says and tries to get comfortable in the bed.

"I actually meant… you know" I say and she nods.

"I don't know how to feel, Tobias. I mean I know I should feel sad and angry about losing my baby, but I didn't get the chance to actually think about it. I didn't even know it was there" she says frustrated. She closes her eyes and sighs. "Will you hold me?" she asks and looks at me hopeful.

"Of course, there's nothing I'd rather do" I say smiling. I take off my shoes and lie down next to her and gather her in my arms.

"Tell me a story" she says, but I see that she is already drifting off.

"Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl that stole a young man's heart for ever. He loved her so much that he couldn't imagine his life without her" I say and watch her chest rise and fall, indicating she has already fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bit of happiness in the beginning, then some smut and toward the end some drama. i think I got everything on every author's bucket list :) *chuckle*
> 
> I posted a few pictures for this chapter on Pinterest and who is into such things I have a board named Fantastic Living with all kinds of ideas to decorate your home.
> 
> As for the story - R&R!
> 
> See you soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I want to thank all of you for following and reviewing this story. You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for your support and the lovely compliments and comments.

5

Tris' POV

Thanksgiving.

Tobias and I are on our way to my parent's house. I promised mom to help her with the meal and both dad and Tobias offered to help as best they could. I feel much better now after my accident. I had headaches the first few days, but they are gone now.

After we got home from the hospital Tobias and I sat down and discussed the loss of the baby. It was more painful than I thought. The more I thought about it the more it hurt. When we first got the news we didn't feel much, since we didn't have time to process everything, but after a couple of days of "what ifs" we realized how much it truly affected us.

The whole experience had a bright side after all. He and I both discussed our future. None of us mentioned marriage or anything, but we both see ourselves staying together for a long while and maybe even have a baby. The subject is still a delicate one, especially today. Last night I woke up from a terrible nightmare and it took Tobias nearly an hour to calm me down. I dreamed of that day when Nita pushed me only to be taken into a nursery where Tobias held a baby in a blue blanket. I thought he was rocking the baby to sleep, but the baby was dead. Dream Tobias looked up at me with hatred and accused me of killing our child. I honestly don't know what hurt me more, my dead baby or seeing the look full of hate on his face. When I told Tobias about my dream he made me look into his eyes and he repeated over and over again that he loves me no matter what and if anyone is to blame for our baby's death that's Nita. He would never do that. Logically, I agree with him, but my heart constricts painfully when I think about it.

As for Nita she got arrested and convicted to three years on probation and she has to pay me damages – the hospitalization and the recovery therapy I had to go through. Our lawyer suggested we should include the loss of our baby, but I was against it. I don't want Nita to know she caused my baby's death and I don't want to use that for some monetary gain. Tobias agreed with me immediately without saying anything else. We both want this to be behind us.

We soon arrive at my parents' house and Tobias parks the car in the driveway. We get out and he grabs the flowers for mom and the wine bottle for dad. We knock on the front door and dad opens it smiling.

"Hello, Bumblebee" he says and kisses my temple.

"Hey dad, Happy Thanksgiving" I say.

"Hey Andrew, Happy Thanksgiving" Tobias says from behind me.

"Happy Thanksgiving, kids. Good to see you, son" he says and hugs Tobias. We both get inside and Tobias hands dad the bottle.

"Where's Natalie?"

"In the kitchen" my dad says and Tobias walks into the kitchen with the huge flower bouquet. "How's your head?" dad asks me as he takes my coat.

"Better. I didn't have any headaches and two days ago I went for my final check-up and the doctor says everything is fine" I tell him. We both walk into the kitchen were mom puts her bouquet in a large crystal vase.

"Thank you for the beautiful flowers, sweetheart" mom says and comes over to hug me. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving, mom. What can I do?"

We spend the next few hours cooking, occasionally helped by our men. I'm so glad dad and Tobias get along. Around two p.m. Tobias leaves with dad and goes to the airport to pick up Caleb. Uncle Joe and aunt Ellie soon arrive together with my little cousin Hector, followed by Evelyn, Clark and Rose. While Uncle Joe and Clark sit in the living room watching the football game, Hector and Rose play outside, and Evelyn and Aunt Ellie help mom and me. Around three p.m. dad and Tobias are still not back yet, but instead our friends came. Shauna and Zeke brought a chocolate cake, which she quickly brought over into the kitchen and put in the fridge for later. Marlene and Christina each baked a pie and Lynn made some punch.

"Honey, we're home" dad yells as he comes in. Mom quickly cleans her hands and runs outside to greet my brother. I do the same and rush out. Mom peppers his face with kisses and he laughs and smiles and blushes slightly. "Enough, honey, you embarrass him in front of his girlfriend" I hear my dad say.

"Girlfriend?" I ask.

"Yeah" Caleb says shyly and looks at her. She looks familiar, but I can't really place her.

"Cara?" I hear Will ask.

"Will?" she asks.

"Wait" I say. "That's your sister?" I ask.

"Yeah" he says and walks over to hug her, while I hug Caleb.

We all sit down in the living room talking and getting to know each other. I learn that my dear brother kept his beautiful girlfriend hidden because of me. Everyone was so concerned about my wellbeing and walked on egg shells around me that it really gets on my nerves now.

"Dinner is ready" mom says coming into the living room. We all get up and go into the dining room. We all sit down and wait for dad to say grace.

"How about Bumblebee says grace?" he asks.

"Dad, you know I don't like that. You do it" I whine.

"Come on, sweetheart. I'm sure you'll do just fine" he assures me. I take a deep breath and think of what to say.

"Dear God" I say and look around.

"You need to close your eyes, sis" Caleb says.

"Oh, right" I say and close them. "Dear God" I start over again.

"Bee, it's a prayer, not a letter to Santa" I hear Shauna and open my eyes to glare at her.

"If you're so smart why don't you do it?" I say.

"Girls, please, no fighting at the dinner table" mom scolds.

"Sorry, mom."

"Sorry, Aunt Natalie."

"Please, honey, say your prayer" mom instructs.

"Dear God." Pause. "Long time no see, huh? It's me, Tris. I know we haven't spoken in a while. Actually, I think I was five or six last time and I asked you for a mountain bike. By the way, what's up with that? I thought you were cool."

"Beatrice" mom scolds.

"Alright. I see your fandom is well supported here. I'm still waiting for my bike" I say.

"Beatrice" mom says more forcefully.

"So, God. Thanks a lot for everyone here, the good food, the awesome weather. Would be cool of you if…" I say but mom interrupts.

"Beatrice Elisabeth Prior" I hear mom say and open my eyes.

"What?" I ask and everyone starts laughing.

"If you ask for that damn mountain bike again I'm going to ground you" she says.

"Wow, mom's mad" Caleb says.

"Be quiet, young man" mom says.

"Mom, I told you I'm no good at this. I never know what to say to God" I defend.

"Say what's in your heart, give thanks for what you have" she says more gentle now.

"Alright. Okay. Hey, God. Tris again. Thanks for all the people in my life. Mom, do I need to name all of them?" I ask and a few of the guests chuckle.

"No, God knows who you mean" she says exasperated.

"What are you five?" Lynn asks.

"What? It's not my fault we don't usually said grace. I mean, your dad is a minister, mine is an engineer" I say to her.

"Bee, we said grace" Caleb says.

"When?"

"Always. You were just too busy with anything else" he says.

"Kids, we go off topic here. Bee, please finish so that we can eat" dad says.

"Okay" I close my eyes again and say the first thing I remember from when I was little. "Good bread, good meat, good God, let's eat. Amen."

"Amen" my cousins and my brother say in unison.

"Thank you, Bumblebee. That was uhm… good" my dad says.

"I hope you never make me do that again" I say and he chuckles.

Everyone enjoys this Thanksgiving dinner, all worries and problems temporarily forgotten. Caleb tells us about his promotion and his and Cara's plans to move in together. After everyone is done eating we move back into the living room and decide to play Pictionary. We play boys v. girls and decide that whoever loses does the dishes. Caleb and I go first for our respective teams. The first word is nail polish. We use the two old blackboards we used to play with as kids to draw our pictures. I'm quicker than he is and Christina, obviously, is the first to get it. One point for the girls and nada for the boys. The next pair is mom and Uncle Joe. Mom starts by making a circle and draws little points inside it. I don't know if I want some right now or not, but that circle looks like a cookie.

"Chocolate chip cookie" I yell.

"Yes" mom says excited.

"Woohoo. Two points for the girls and nothing for the boys" Shauna cheers.

The game goes on until all of us, even Hector and Rose, get to the boards at least once. At some point Hector demands cake so mom goes into the kitchen to get it out of the fridge. She cuts it so that everyone gets a slice and the girls and I help her taking the plates into the living room. Since the girls won, the guys now have to do the dishes. All the women sit around in the living room and we talk about the upcoming Christmas season. We decide to get together one weekend and go shopping together. I want to get something for Tobias, but I really don't know what. We usually buy each other stuff all the time. I mean, if I see something that I think he might like or need I just get it, regardless if it's some holiday or anniversary or just a regular day. Sometimes I just want to get my baby nice things. This is why I have no clue what to get him.

"I already got something for Zeke" Shauna says.

"What?" Marlene asks and I'm curious to know too. She looks toward the kitchen were the men are still trying to figure out how to use the dishwasher (I'm teasing or maybe not) and when she's satisfied he can't hear her she whispers to us. "Sky diving lessons. I didn't have money for more than two times. But I still think he will like it. He always says he wants to try it out at least."

"That sounds great" Christina says and the others agree.

"How about you get Four some sky diving lessons too?" Shauna asks. Not gonna happen. Tobias might be tough but he is afraid of heights and sky diving – out of the question.

"No, that's your present for Zeke. I wanna get him something more personal" I say and she just shrugs. I glance toward Evelyn and she smiles and nods slightly. She and I are probably the only ones who know of his fears.

"What are the ladies whispering about?" Tobias asks as he sits down on the arm rest of the chair I'm sitting in. He bends down and kisses my forehead.

"Nothing important, just chit-chatting about Christmas dinner" I say.

"You guys just provided us with a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and you already plan the next big holiday meal?" he asks with a chuckle.

"Well, we need to keep our men fed" mom says smiling.

Soon after Tobias and I say goodbye and head back home. We keep quiet until Tobias suddenly starts laughing. I look over at him and try to figure out what he could possibly find so funny.

"What?" I ask.

"You suck at saying grace" he says and laughs.

"If you thought I sucked why didn't you say grace then?" I ask pouting.

"Oh, come on, babe. Don't pout. Besides, why would I stop you from trying? It was hilarious."

"Oh, shut up, Eaton" I say and look out the window.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you" he says bashful.

"It's okay. I'm not upset. I just hate that. I don't know how to pray. My mom always tried to teach me, but I never really paid attention" I say and still look out of the window.

"I guess I'll have to teach our kids how to pray" he says quietly with a chuckle.

"What?" I ask turning to look at him.

"You heard that?" he asks a little surprised.

"Yeah. You think of us having kids?" I ask.

"Well, yeah. Someday. If you like" he says and glances my way from time to time. I look ahead to watch the road and think for a moment of what he said.

"Yeah, I'd like that" I finally say.

"Good" he says and keeps driving. I look outside and don't recognize where we are.

"Tobias, this isn't the way home" I say.

"Very observant, Ms. Prior."

"Care to tell me where we're going?" I ask with a chuckle.

"Nope, it's a surprise" he says smirking.

"Come on. Tell me" I plead.

"No. We're almost there anyway" he says.

"Really? You take me to the middle of freaking nowhere?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not… okay it is. But I chose it one purpose" he says with a chuckle.

"Oh my God. You are an ax murderer and you take me into the woods to chop me up" I say in a dramatic voice.

"What? No!" he says laughing.

"You are a warlock and you take me into the woods to sacrifice me to some god" I suggest.

"No. What the hell, Tris? Where did you get this stuff?" he asks laughing.

"Movies" I say and sit back in my seat.

"I thought since we have an extended weekend we could just go some place, just the two of us" he says.

"Aw, that's so sweet. But I don't have anything packed."

"I packed for you" he says.

"Really? Everything I might need?" I ask skeptically.

"Yup. I packed your toiletries, tooth brush, hair comb, clothes, underwear. I even bought tampons, although it's still early for your period" he says.

"How'd you know that?" I ask surprised.

"I pay attention."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Five to seven days before your period you have mood swings, nothing big and you have some strange cravings for salt and sweet at the same time. You cry during movies…" he continues and I stop him.

"So what if I cry? I cry all the time during movies" I say.

"Yeah, but not when it's funny. And also your boobs are a bit bigger before your period and more importantly if I touch them you look at me like you could kill me" he says and glances my way.

"That's because the suckers hurt" I say and grab them in my palms kneading them.

"Oh, God. That's so hot, baby" he says.

"We there yet?" I ask and keep on playing with my boobs through my sweater.

"Almost."

I let go of myself and let him drive without teasing him any further. It's really nice what he did. A weekend away, just the two of us sounds very nice. And after all that crap with Nita I really need it. We soon park in front of a beautiful cabin and I immediately get out to get a closer look.

"Tobias, this looks beautiful."

"Wait to see it during the day. When I first saw it I knew I would bring someone special here someday. And wait to see the inside" he says while getting our bags. "And there's a hot tub" he adds and I look at him in wonder.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I thought you might like that" he says grinning. He locks the car and we walk up to the front door. He fishes out the key and opens the door, allowing me to enter first. It's pitch black inside and I look for a light switch on the left side of the wall, but can't find any. Tobias turns it on instead and I see the switch right next to the door on the right wall. I look around the room in awe. It's not too big, but cozy. The fireplace is still cold but Tobias already moved over there to warm this place up.

"Do you even know how to do that?" I ask him.

"Of course, I know. I went camping with dad and he taught me" he says focused on his task.

"Where's the tub?" I ask.

"Upstairs, but I suggest we use it tomorrow, after this place is really warm. I don't want you to get sick" he says and finally managed to light a fire.

"Aw, you are so protective" I say and walk over to kiss him softly on the cheek. I walk upstairs to inspect the rest of the cabin. Right at the end of the stairs is the hot tub and to my right is a door. I open it and find the bathroom. It's not big, but it has everything we might need. I decide to unpack our bags to keep myself warm and occupied until it's time for bed.

"Need any help?" Tobias asks as I pick up the bags.

"Yes, please. What the hell did you put in here?" I ask lifting up one of the big groceries bags.

"Food, drinks and other snacks" he says. "Let me stock the fridge and you put the clothes away. There's a drawer next to the bed."

I do as he says and when I'm finished with our clothes, and by the way, that little sneaky bastard put some very sexy lingerie in my bag, I go upstairs to put our toiletries away. I finish in the bathroom and make my way back downstairs. Immediately I'm hit by a combination of scents – vanilla, cinnamon and strawberry. Tobias turned off the lights and the only light source is the fireplace and a few scented candles. I make sure not to trip and fall and make my way to him. He sits down on a comfy pillow in front of the fire place, a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and two elegant glasses next to it. I smile and sit on the pillow opposite of Tobias.

"What's this all for?" I ask.

"Can't I spoil my girl?" he asks smirking.

"You can, but I'd still like to know" I say.

"Aren't you a curious little Bee" he says using my family's nickname for me.

"You should know the answer to that one" I tease.

"I do. But I have a question for you" he says a little serious and nervous I might add.

"Sure. Hit me" I say playful.

"Tris, you know I'm not really good with words, but I love you. More than anything. Before I met you I didn't believe in love, let alone love at first sight. You are more than just my girlfriend. You are my best friend, who knows all my secrets, all my fears and all my desires. You are my partner, because I want to know your opinion. I never feel like I have to do something for you or with you, but I want to. When I look at you I see my whole life ahead. I see a nice house, with a large backyard. I see a dog and a cat and maybe a hamster" he says chuckling. "I see children running around, playing and having fun. I see movie nights with our kids. I see us dancing at our 50th anniversary. I see us grow old." At this point my eyes are so watery, that I barely see him. "Tris" he says and shifts from a sitting position to kneeling on one leg. "You are the love of my life, you are the sunshine that shines into the darkest corner of my existence, you are everything to me. I love you with all my heart. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asks and streams of tears run down my face. I am so choked up that I can't form any words and just nod. He smiles his brilliant smile and crashes his lips over mine. We kiss passionately and with abandon until we can't breathe anymore and let go just slightly. Tobias rests his forehead on mine and we both smile.

"Yes, Tobias, a million times yes" I say panting.

"Here" he says and slips the ring on my finger. I was so focused on him that I haven't even noticed the small black velvet box in his hands when he proposed.

"Tobias, it's beautiful. I love it" I say and kiss his lips again. I hold my hand in front of me to examine the ring more carefully. It's white gold with a single diamond and a Celtic design. It's gorgeous. Tobias really knows me and what I like.

"I'm glad you like it. The moment I saw it I knew that was the one. Just as I knew when I saw you" he says and I look from my ring to him.

"Come on. You can't possibly tell me you knew when you met me that you would want to marry me" I say with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe not right away, but I knew I wanted to get to know you better and kiss you senseless" he says and licks his lips.

"Well, since we're so honest, when I first saw you I wanted to grab your hand, drag you up to my room, rip your clothes off and ride you like no tomorrow" I say and he laughs.

"Like no tomorrow?" he teases.

"Like no tomorrow" I confirm.

"You're so full of … ideas" he says.

"Yeah. Be careful, it's contagious" I say and he kisses me again.

"We should toast" he says and opens the bottle with a loud pop. I hold up the two glasses and he pours the exquisite beverage into them. He puts the bottle back into the ice bucket to keep it cool and I hand him one of the glasses. "To my beautiful fiancée" he says.

"To my gorgeous fiancé" I reply.

"To a life full of love and happiness" he adds.

"To us" I say and we both take sip of the cool champagne.

We sit down more comfortable, Tobias leaning against the armchair and me leaning against his chest, a fluffy white blanket over us to keep us warm, although the fireplace really warmed up the cabin. And not to mention all the heated kisses we shared so far plus the alcohol.

"How did you even find this place?" I ask after a while.

"It's my dad's. He comes here fishing sometimes. And some of those times I joined him" he says.

"So, that's how you know your way around here" I say looking up at him.

"Yeah."

"Did you tell anyone? I mean about this?" I ask and hold my left hand up to show off my beautiful engagement ring. He takes my hand in his and kisses my finger with the ring on it.

"Zeke knew. He went ring shopping with me. My dad also knew, since I told him I wanted to propose to you here. And your dad found out today, actually" he says.

"Dad? Really?"

"Yeah. I had to ask for your hand in marriage. We wanted to tell your mom, but since it was supposed to be a surprise we kept it to ourselves."

"Is this why all three of them kept grinning and winking at you the whole day?" I ask, realizing just how suspicious all four men acted today.

"Kind off. I wanted to tell them to stop it so many times, but I wanted to avoid making a scene" he says with a chuckle.

"Should we call them and tell them our news or do you think the guys told everyone after we left?" I ask and look at him curiously.

"I doubt they said anything. For all they know I chickened out" he says and we both laugh.

"You? Never" I say.

"But sure, we could call them" he says. I want to get up to get my phone but Tobias holds me in place. "Where do you think you are going?"

"To get my phone."

"No need for that. I've got mine here." He dials a number and puts the phone on speaker.

"Who did you call?" I ask.

"Our parents. I called both numbers. We can call our friends later or tomorrow, but I want our families to know first."

"That's fine with me" I say. We wait for someone to pick up and the first person is Clark.

"Hello, Tobias" we hear Clark.

"Hi, dad. Is mom there?" Tobias asks.

"I can call her. Hang on" we hear Clark walk and then Evelyn can be heard.

"Hey, sweetie. What's up?"

"Hi, mom. Rose already asleep?"

"Yeah. Took me forever to get that little devil to bed" Evelyn says chuckling.

"Alright" Tobias says.

"Hello" we hear my dad.

"Hi, Andrew. Listen, I have my parents in a conference call with us. Could you get Natalie and Caleb. Tris and I have something to tell you" Tobias says grinning at me. We wait for mom and Caleb to come to the phone and I hear my brother grunting why they woke him up.

"We are all here" my dad says.

"Okay. Mom, dad?" Tobias asks.

"We're here as well" Evelyn says.

"Ready?" he asks looking at me. I nod.

"We're getting married" we shout into the phone at the same time. We hear mom and Evelyn erupt in cheers and everyone starts congratulating us. We promise to call tomorrow and we say goodbye after a final round of congratulations from everyone.

"Wow, we are so in sync, babe" I say and we high five.

"Yeah. We didn't even have to practice that before" he says laughing. "Should we call our friends too?"

"No. Let's do it tomorrow. It's late" I say and check his wrist watch. It's nearly midnight. "I guess now I have something else to be thankful for."

"I sure am thankful for you, for you accepting my marriage proposal, for our families, our friends and all the years we have ahead of us" he says. I lean in and we kiss softly.

"We should go to bed. I'm exhausted" I say. He picks me up and carries me to the bed nearby. We change into our PJ's and even though I want to make love to my fiancé, we are both too tired. We snuggle for a while not saying anything and soon sleep takes over us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yeay, they are engaged. I've posted a few pictures for this chapter on Pinterest. check them out. I'm currently writing chapter 6, so I haven't anything ready, really. If any of you have suggestions what might happen next - obviously wedding - but maybe some other stuff. i'd liek to give this story a couple more chapters before wrapping things up.
> 
> Questions that need answers:
> 
> 1\. What do you think of Tris' prayer?
> 
> 2\. What should Tris get Tobias for Christmas?
> 
> 3\. Same thing goes for Tobias and Tris' gift.
> 
> 4\. What do you think of the proposal?
> 
> 5\. Where, other than a church, should they get married?
> 
> Can't wait to hear from you guys.
> 
> Love you all,
> 
> Cloakseeker.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here's a new chapter for you guys and it's a little longer than the previous. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to comment and as always I'm open to suggestions.

6

Tobias' POV

I wake up early the next morning and blink a few times. I look down my body and see my beautiful fiancée sleeping with her head over my heart. I can't believe she said yes. Well, I hoped she would. I love her so much and I can't imagine my life without her. I grab her hand with the engagement ring and pull it to my lips to kiss every knuckle. I know I might wake her, but I can't stop myself. She soon stirs and lifts her head. She looks up, but I can tell she isn't fully awake yet. I smile at her and she smiles back.

"Good morning, my love" I say.

"Morning, honey."

"How did you sleep?"

"Wonderful."

"You?"

"The best I had in years" I say.

"I can't believe we got engaged" she says admiring her ring. I kiss her head and smile.

"I was thinking the same when I woke up. You regret it?" I ask, hoping she doesn't. She turns around to look at me with a surprised look on her face.

"Of course not. I love you, Tobias and it would be my honor and pleasure to be your wife" she says and smiles softly.

"I love you, too" I say and we kiss. She moans into my mouth and I take this as encouragement to go further. I lick her bottom lip and she opens her mouth for me. I push my tongue inside and tangle it with hers. I'm now fully awake and I have propped myself up and pushed her into the mattress. I am hovering over her, resting my weight on my left arm, while my right hand explores her still clothed body.

"I need you" she says breathlessly.

I'm not one to deny my lady anything, so I proceed to undress her. I throw the comforter off of me and help her get rid of her flannel shirt. She sits up and I pull the shirt over her head revealing her naked chest to me. I smirk at the sight and push her back. She lies down smiling stretching out her arms. I lean down and she wraps herself around me, legs around my waist and arms around my neck. We kiss with fervor and I feel myself getting more and more uncomfortable in my pants.

"Tris" I pant. She pushes my shoulder and I turn around to lie on my back. Tris sits up and straddles my lap bending forward to kiss my lips, my jaw, my chin. Her lips follow a trail to my pulse point where she sucks lightly before proceeding to nibble my collar bone. While Tris is kissing and biting lightly my chest area I caress her sides and grab her butt. I start kneading both butt cheeks and she moans loudly and starts grinding against me.

"Tobias, I can't take it anymore" she says. I slowly push her pajama pants and panties down her ass and she stands up to fully remove them. I quickly get rid of my own pants and briefs and lie back down. We both need each other desperately. There's time for romance later. Tris sits back down and grinds a little more against me, making sure she is wet enough to take me in. But before I can probe her with my finger she slides down my body until her head is level with my throbbing member, which is standing at attention for her. She licks her lips and then her right palm. She envelops my cock in her hand and starts pumping it gently to build up the pressure. I lift myself up on my elbows just in time to have a better view of her taking it into her mouth. She looks up at me through her lashes while bobbing her head up and down my length, stroking whatever doesn't fit into her mouth with her hand. This image alone makes me go crazy and I'm not sure I can take much longer without fucking her.

"Babe, stop. If you don't, I'll come and I want to do it inside you" I say panting. She let's go of me with a loud popping sound and smirks. She reaches down her body and rubs her entrance, pushing one of her slender fingers inside to check her readiness. She positions herself above me, grabbing my cock with her right hand and rubbing it against her slick folds, while steadying herself with her left hand on my shoulder. She places my cock at her entrance and slides down gracefully until I'm fully sheathed. We both moan at the deep contact and relish in the sensations this position gives us. Tris starts rocking her hips and I meet each of her moves with my own, we both soon move in sync as one. She sits up straighter and I steady her by holding her hands in mine, our fingers intertwined as I watch her ride me like there's no tomorrow. She increases her pace and I help her by lifting her butt and slamming it back down on my length. When Tris is close she bends forward leaning her head against my shoulder. I hold her hips tight and slam against her with wild abandon until I feel her walls clench around my still pounding cock, squeezing it tightly and making me join her on the other side of pure bliss.

We stay like that for several minutes breathing heavily and just enjoying the aftermath of our lovemaking without saying another word. When my breathing evens out I start rubbing her back and kissing her shoulder.

"That was awesome" she says.

"Yeah, it was" I say. "I love you."

"I love you too" she says and looks at me smiling brightly. "And I love sex for breakfast."

"Me too. It's the most important and delicious meal of the day" I say smirking.

"Couldn't agree more" she says laughing and gets up. I wonder momentarily where she's going when she crawls back up with the comforter under her arm. "We should keep this close" she says and snuggles into my side.

I rub her back lightly and she buries her face in the crook of my neck. I can feel her smile against my skin which makes me smile too.

"You hungry?" I ask.

"A little bit, but let's stay in bed for a couple more minutes" she says.

"Alright" I say and kiss her head.

"I'm so happy, Tobias" she says after a while.

"Me too. I can't wait to marry you" I say sincerely.

"Whoa, there Speedy" she says laughing. "We just got engaged."

"So?"

"You move kind of fast here" she says and sits up, holding the sheet around her body.

"Is that bad? I know what I want" I say honestly and caress her cheek. "But if it's too fast we can wait."

"How about we take our time and not rush things" she says. I sit up, thinking of what she said.

"Are you having second thoughts?" I ask concerned.

"No, of course not. I'm just saying we should take our time and plan the wedding. I want it to be a nice day for the both of us."

"Me too. Maybe we should set a date" I say hopeful. If it were up to me we would get married today. I know that I love her and that I want to spend the rest of my life with her.

"How about June?" she asks.

"June? You wanna keep me waiting till June?" I ask and she laughs.

"Come on. It's not that long. There's so much to do and I really don't want to get married during the cold season" she says with a frown. I think about it and she's right. Besides, we probably need to set some money aside for the wedding and honeymoon. That will take a while.

"You're right. June it is. How about the first weekend?" I ask and check my phone. "June 4th?"

"Perfect. We also need to check at work, but I don't think there's a problem" she says.

"No. Things go great at the gym and I'm sure Zeke can take over for two weeks" I say.

"That'll be great. I'm sure my boss won't mind two weeks, especially since I could take my laptop with me if necessary" she says.

"No way. I won't let you work on our honeymoon" I say.

"I'm just saying. I wouldn't really work" she says smiling.

"Good. 'Cause on our honeymoon the only two people that matter are you and me."

"That's right" she agrees and kisses me. When we pull apart we smile at each other. "We have the when now we just need to figure out the where."

"Where we'll go on our honeymoon?"

"Wedding and honeymoon."

"I have an idea for our honeymoon" I say remembering something she told me on our first date.

"Really? Where?" she asks clearly excited.

"Nope. It's a surprise, but I promise you'll love it" I assure her.

"Of course, I will. I don't really care where we're going as long as we're together. We could stay at home for all I care. Or we could come here" she says smiling.

"I know, but it's our honeymoon and you deserve the best" I say caressing her cheek.

"Correction. We both do."

"You're right. I love you."

"I love you too." We kiss softly, pouring all our love into it. I feel so blessed having her in my life. And I'm so happy that soon this beautiful girl will be my wife.

"Maybe our friends or our parents know where we could celebrate our wedding" I say.

"Yeah. But let's forget about that right now and just enjoy ourselves" she says grinning.

"Oh, what do you have in mind?" I ask her smirking. My baby wants some sugar.

"Something delicious" she says and licks her lips seductively. I feel myself getting hard and lean forward to kiss her, but she jumps up, wraps one of the sheets securely around her and walks into the small kitchenette. "You coming?" she asks. I look after her dumbfounded.

"Huh? What?" I ask stupidly. "Tris?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?" I ask getting up myself and putting my sweat pants on.

"Something delicious" she says smiling widely. I look at what she prepared on the counter and see the ingredients for eggs and bacon.

"I thought you meant…" I stutter. She looks at me curiously and raises an eyebrow.

"What did you think?" she asks all serious and looks at me for a moment before she bursts out laughing.

"You little trickster" I say and wrap an arm around her and start tickling her making her laugh loudly.

"Stop, please, I surrender" she manages to say.

"I hope this will teach you not to trick me again, Ms. Prior" I say.

"It's a good lesson, Mr. Eaton" she says laughing. "But I can't guarantee that I learned it properly" she says and runs into the living/bedroom to grab some clothes. "Make me breakfast" she orders.

"Have I ever told you that you are bossy?" I ask chuckling.

"Every time I order you around" she says laughing.

"We need to change that" I say and start cooking.

"Nope. You just need to accept that I'm your boss" she says coming back, wearing her PJ pants and one of my tee shirts.

"Don't you have your own shirts, Ms. Prior?" I ask her, but I don't mind. I actually love seeing her wearing mine.

"I have, but I like yours better" she says and sniffs the shirt. "Hm, smells of Tobias" she says smiling.

"You are nuts, honey."

"So are you."

"Nuts about you" I say and peck her lips. "Let's agree we're both nuts about each other" I add.

"Or just nuts" she says laughing.

We work together in the kitchenette and soon sit down to eat. We decide to go out for a hike, exploring the surrounding area a little bit, while it's still warm. Now that winter is almost here the days are shorter and the nights are long and cold.

We both put on warm clothes and boots and packed a few sandwiches and two water bottles. I only brought one backpack, which I'm carrying, of course. Tris protested at first, but gave in ultimately when I told her she is our designated photographer.

Tris walks beside me taking many pictures and every once in a while when she sees something she likes, like an interesting tree, she stops and makes me stand next to her so that we can take a selfie with it. We laugh and have fun and every now and then we come back to our wedding plans.

"Indoor or outdoor?" she asks, startling me.

"What?" I ask, looking at her confused.

"The wedding. Indoor or outdoor?"

"Outdoor" I say. I don't really go to church so a wedding outdoors would be more appealing. "Unless you want indoor."

"No, I think it's a great idea. But if we do it outdoors, where?" she asks.

"Park?" I ask.

"Yeah, maybe. Tobias?"

"Yes" I ask and grab her hand.

"Would you mind if we would hire a wedding planner?" she asks and looks at me expectantly.

"Why would I mind?" I ask.

"I don't know, just asking."

"No. What is a wedding planner doing anyway?"

"Planning" she says with a chuckle.

"Well, duh" I say and tickle her, which makes her giggle. "But could you be more specific?"

"Well a wedding planner would take over the planning. We would tell him or her whatever we want for our wedding, from number of guests to flowers or color theme. The wedding planner would choose several locations and show them to us and we would decide, he or she would put together a menu according to our wishes, including pastries and of course the wedding cake. Flowers, decorations, invitations and a lot more" she tells me while climbing and balancing on a log. I hold her hand, making sure she doesn't fall.

"I had no idea there's so much work to do" I say honestly.

"To be honest, I wouldn't neither. But you know our friends, especially one" she says looking at me. Of course I know who she means: Christina. "Oh my God. Christina could plan the wedding. She told me she didn't get the job in the beauty parlor. And we could pay her."

"How much would that cost?" I ask. I don't really care how much, I would give Tris the moon if she would ask for it. But it so happens that my girl doesn't ask for material things. She never asked for expensive jewelry or perfumes or anything like that. I once bought her a new fountain pen, because her old one finally broke. It wasn't anything expensive. I actually bought it from the kids aisle with school supplies. It's a regular fountain pen with Minnie Mouse on it. When I gave it to her she looked so happy and thanked me over and over again. Whoever would have seen us then would have thought I just gave her a diamond bracelet or something. But no, my girl was super excited for a regular kiddie fountain pen. She had a similar reaction when I surprised her one time and brought her hot dogs to work. We IM-ed during work hours, because she was sick for the past couple of days and I wanted to see if she is alright. When I appeared in her office she was so concentrated that she didn't even hear me knock. I got closer and when she saw me she smiled widely and came to hug me. When I showed her the food she kissed me all over the face thanking me for bringing some to her. She couldn't leave her office because she had to do some cyber check thing that I don't understand and we ended up eating at her desk. Over the past months since I met her and we became a couple I found that it is very easy to please her. She isn't demanding or a control freak like other girls. We trust each other and whenever we have a problem we talk things through. Yeah, we sometimes get loud, but we never insult each other or worse. And if we can't reach common ground one of us leaves the apartment for an hour so and comes back with a cleared mind. We resume our discussion and finally reach a solution. We decided from the first fight we had that we would never go to bed angry and that's how things have been working ever since.

"I don't know, but we could check it out and then ask her. I mean, she obviously will be my maid of honor. I had to promise her when we were little" she says with a chuckle.

"How little?" I ask amused.

"Very little. Let's say back then we didn't even know what a period was let alone sex or the other grown-up things" she says laughing. "But Christina insisted that when we grow up and get married we would be each other's maid of honor."

"Sounds like her. Okay. I'm all for it. But please don't make me go through a billion stores, especially not with Christina" I say a little whiny.

"You nuts? Of course not. I'm gonna do everything I can to talk my way out, too" she says and looks me straight in the eyes.

"I love you" I tell her. She smiles brightly and kisses me softly on the lips.

"I love you, too."

"No, you don't understand" I say and she furrows her eyebrows. "I love you, especially for not being so… for the lack of a better word girly" I emphasize the last word. She laughs loudly at that and smacks my arm.

"Yeah, Shauna and Chris tried to make a real girl out of me for years. And yet here I am, a computer specialist – so not a girl's job, a Krav Maga practitioner capable of beating your sorry ass" she says.

"Hey" I say in mock offense, but she ignores it.

"Handy around the house with nails and hammer" she adds.

"Oh, but you are a girl. The most beautiful one I've ever seen. And you are all mine" I say and wrap my arms around her. She giggles and we start kissing. I hold her close and breathe in her scent. I'll never get tired of just holding her in my arms.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry. Let's eat a sandwich" she says.

"Okay. But let's go over there" I say pointing south-west. We walk a short distance and reach the lake, where dad and I usually fish.

"Oh my God, Tobias. This looks amazing" she says taking in the scenery.

"I thought you'd like it" I say and sit down on a log, retrieving two sandwiches from the backpack and the water bottles.

"Thank you" she says as she takes hers and sits down next to me.

"We could come back when it gets warmer and I can teach you how to fish" I tell her.

"Really? What makes you think I don't know already?" she asks with a cocky grin.

"'Cause I asked your dad" I reply smiling.

"What if dad doesn't know?" she asks.

"Someone taught you?" I ask a little disappointed.

"Yeah" she says looking toward the lake. "A handsome young man, years ago" she says and I wonder who she means. Maybe an ex-boyfriend.

"May I ask who?" She turns to look at me, a big smile on her face. What?

"I was five years old" she starts saying and I sigh in relief. She chuckles at that, but doesn't say anything about it. "As I was saying, a handsome young man decided to teach me one day. I remember it vividly. It was the first day of Christmas and he sat down with me in the living room and prepared the fish tank. He gave me a pink fishing rod, while he used a green one" she says and then it dawns on me.

"Caleb" I say, but it comes out as a whisper.

"Yeah" she says lightly. "My dear brother just got a brand new "Let's go fishin'" game and taught me how to properly fish plastic fish out of a plastic, water-less fish tank. It was a magical bonding moment between brother and sister that we both shall cherish forever" she says using a dramatic voice.

"Babe, you are the craziest girl I have ever met" I say and kiss her cheek. "So, how about I teach you to fish real ones?" I ask and she nods her head, since she took another bite from her sandwich.

"I'd love that" she says after swallowing.

We stay out here for a while longer enjoying the autumn sun, but the cold wind makes us rethink our hike and we return back to the cabin. It's still early for supper and Tris and I just cuddle on the couch in front of the fireplace talking about little things, from a groceries list to buying a few new movies to watch at home.

"Would you like to buy a house?" I ask her after a while. Tris is lying down, her head in my lap and her face toward me. She looks up at me curiously while I play with a strand of her hair.

"Now?" she asks snickering.

"No, baby. After we get married. What do you think?"

"Maybe. But there's no rush."

"What if we decide to expand our little family?" I ask her hopeful. I know this is still a delicate subject between us, but I would really love to have kids. At least, this is the case since I met her. I look into her eyes awaiting her response.

"Babe, even if we have a baby, we won't be needing a house right away. A bigger apartment should suffice for the time being. I don't want us to buy a house just for the sake of it. I want us to find a place we could call home" she says smiling and playing with the hand that was resting on her stomach.

"If we were to buy a house, how should it be? I mean, how does your dream house look like?" I ask her.

"Honestly? I haven't given that much thought. I guess I'll know my dream house when I see it. But if we finally decide to buy one we could buy one of these magazines that feature houses and all kinds of ideas to decorate it" she suggests.

"Yeah, we could do that. What about kids?"

"What about them?"

"How many?" I ask smirking.

"I don't know. Two, maybe three" she says.

"What? I was hoping at least four or six" he says. At that she sits up abruptly and stares at me with wide eyes.

"Are you out of your mind? We would be completely outnumbered, not to mention I would be a whale for the first decade of our marriage, unless we have twins or triplets" she says jokingly.

"Babe, I'm good at the lovin' part, but I doubt I'm that good to get you pregnant with three babies at a time" I say with a chuckle.

"What? I thought that someone with such a specific nickname like yours would be capable to get me knocked up with four babies" she says and I start laughing at her adorableness.

"Four? Really?"

"Okay, maybe four are three to many" she says, scrunching her nose. I bend down and kiss her softly.

"I love you" I tell her looking deep into her eyes.

"I love you too" she says caressing my cheek. "I have an idea" she says getting up. "Stay here" she orders and walks up the stairs. I hear shuffling around and then I hear water.

"Whatcha doing, babe?" I shout from downstairs.

"Don't come up. Not yet" she shouts back. "Make sure the fire doesn't go out. I don't want to freeze my ass off" she says and I chuckle. After ten minutes or so I go into the kitchen to grab a beer, when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. I turn around and almost drop my bottle. Tris is standing completely naked at the bottom of the stairs and beckons me with her finger to go to her. I put my bottle down and sprint to her. I pick her up and she wraps her legs around me. I kiss her passionately and she responds with the same fervor. I start walking toward the bed, when Tris breaks our kiss. "Nah-uh" she says and points with her index finger to go upstairs. I kiss her again and walk with her still in my arms up the stairs. I am pleasantly surprised to find that my gorgeous fiancée prepared the hot tub for us. The room is lit only by candles and Tris already prepared big fluffy towels for when we get out.

"This looks amazing, honey" I say and kiss her again. I put her down and start undressing. I help her into the tub and follow closely. We snuggle close to each other, just enjoying the warmth of the water and each other's company.

"We need to get a hot tub" she says. I laugh lightly.

"Babe, there's no room at home" I say and kiss her temple.

"I know that" she turns her head and kisses my jaw. "I meant when we get a house. Would be cool to have one at home" she says and turns around and plays with my large hand.

"You know, I always wanted a little spa at home" I say and she snaps her head back, looking at me with disbelief.

"Spa? You serious?" she asks. I try to keep a serious face and nod my head. "Now that's the last thing I thought to hear from you. Anyone, but you." I can't keep it together anymore and start laughing. "You tricked me" she says trying to sound angry but ends up laughing with me.

"But seriously now. I wouldn't mind a hot tub and a sauna at home" I tell her honestly.

"What about a home gym?" she asks.

"Wouldn't say no to that either" I say and kiss her cheek.

"Then we should plan for that too. I mean, when we finally get a house we should make it our own with all we want in it" she tells me looking up at me with her beautiful gray-blue eyes.

"What do you want?" I ask her.

"A library with a cozy reading corner."

"Sounds great."

"Tobias?" she asks, her voice a little breaking. I know she wants to tell me something important. She always sounds like this and looks away when she has something important to tell me.

"What is it, babe? You can tell me" I reassure her.

"I know. Listen. I was offered a job" she says, but keeps looking at the water in front of her, avoiding my gaze.

"Okay" I say, unable to think of anything better to say.

"I was contacted by some government people who offered me funding for my research. Remember I told you about some ideas I had for things to invent?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I presented them to a scientific panel and the government is interested to work with me. They are willing to fund me for at least five years, if I agree to work exclusively for them" she tells me and I start to worry. Not because I don't believe in her and her abilities, but because of this exclusivity thing. "I asked details about how this work relationship would look like" she adds, sensing that I had questions.

"And?" I ask and she finally turns around to face me. She is serious and looks straight into my eyes.

"I told them I wouldn't leave Chicago, since my family and friends are here. They said that wouldn't be a problem. I might have to travel from time to time to Washington or New York, but not often. They would provide me with work space, if I request it and as I said already funding. The thing is, I need to keep this quiet, as in top secret. Whether my inventions or computer programs will be used by them or not I need to keep them quiet until they decide. If they choose not to use them I can sell them to third parties."

"Do you want to do this?" I ask her curiously.

"I don't know. Kind of" she says. "What do you think?"

"I think it's your decision" I tell her honestly.

"No, it's ours. We are a couple and we are engaged to be married" she says holding up her left hand waving it in front of my face. I chuckle and kiss her ring finger, which makes her giggle. "Seriously now. I want this to be our decision."

"Alright. I think we should talk to them, but we need a good lawyer. I want you to be protected" I tell her.

"I thought of a lawyer too and they said I could bring one. Question is, who?"

"A good one. I think I know someone" I tell her.

"Who?" she asks looking at me quizzically.

"Jack Kang, from Candor Law" I tell her and her eyes widen.

"That's a very prestigious and expensive law firm" she says.

"Yeah, but I know Jack and he owes me a favor. He could at least hear us out and give his professional opinion."

"How do you know him?" she asks me turning so that she could see me better.

"A while ago he was threatened and he came to the gym for self-defense classes. He asked for a few private sessions and after he told me why he needed them I accepted to help him. We kind of became friends and hung out a couple of times."

"You think he would do this?"

"There's no harm in asking him. I could call him on Monday and set up a meeting. Would you like that?" I ask and kiss the tip of her nose.

"Yeah. Thank you, honey" she says and draws my mouth to hers and we kiss leisurely. Soon our kiss turns more passionate and before we know it we desecrate dad's hot tub. But I don't mind. I don't mind at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Guys, I need your help. Christmas (in the story) is around the corner and I need some ideas for some presents for our favorite ship. I expect suggestions, people. Don't let me down. Also, a couple of pics are already on the Pinterest board dedicated to the story.  
> https://www.pinterest.com/ChristiWind/for-better-or-worse-divergent-trilogy-fan-fiction/

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: What do you think so far?


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